Upon a Star
by Code Green
Summary: Upon leaving the human world for the thrones of Stormhold, Tristan and Yvaine left behind a priceless gift. It will take a smug warrior, damsel in distress, misplaced princess, and cursed landlord to return the treasure back to its rightful place.
1. Chapter 1

**This is another story written by both myself and a dear friend of mine, Ichobana Rose. Enjoy, and, as always, let us know what you think! Thank you!**

**Prologue**

_Long before the time of King Tristan and his star queen, Yvaine, there was a prophecy made. Indeed, it was at the very beginning of the creation of Stormhold. The prophecy was carved in the ancient language, in the stone that came to be used as the foundation of the palace. And so, it disappeared from memory almost as soon as it had been made._

_But there was one who remembered it. A monk by the name of Ebenezer recorded it in his journal, which he passed to his apprentice after him. The apprentice carried the prophecy with him always, which of course was not good for the paper that it was written on. He had it memorized but was only able to repeat it verbally to the apprentice that came after him. And so of course there were mistakes._

_And so the prophecy passed on its life quietly, passed from master to apprentice and committed to secret memory, out of sight to any who might use the prophecy in the wrong way. Unfortunately, the original wording of the prophecy was lost. But the original idea of it, which was what was important anyways, was always held._

_For this prophecy stated that one day the stars would be free to roam the earth, both Stormhold and the universe outside, which is a thing unheard of. The one that would bestow the stars this blessing was to be of a star's blood, a child of a star and a human, which was also unheard of. For who knew of a star that would come to this earth to find love?_

**Stormhold, Seven Years into King Tristan's Reign (England 1867)**

"Bendel, what's that?"

Bendel looked up from the straw dummy he was attacking with a wooden sword, and saw his twin sister Jacqueline pointing into the sky. The twelve-year-old boy looked up, and what he saw caused him to drop the makeshift sword.

"A shooting star, Jacqueline!" he cried excitedly in French, for that was the language of his part of Stormhold, rushing towards her. "She's coming our way!"

The children were delighted, for everyone knew that stars were cherished as the highest of beings, ever since King Tristan had made new orders for their protection, should one ever fall to Stormhold. True, there were those that still hunted them, but Jacqueline and Bendel knew nothing of that. Their parents had spoken nothing but good of stars, especially the goodness of the queen Yvaine, so they believed themselves to be highly blessed that a star should fall so near them.

The twins watched the bright light descend gracefully, landing not fifty feet away from the farmhouse in which they lived. It was then that they saw that it wasn't just one single woman approaching. There were three brightly glowing beings standing in the circle of slightly burnt grass. Excitedly, Jacqueline ran inside to tell her mother and father the news, while her twin brother went to greet the guests.

"Good evening, madams_,_" he said respectfully, in English just in case. "Welcome to our home. Please, come inside."

The three women were stunning, almost too much for the boy to handle. They were still glowing almost bright enough to hurt his eyes. One of them leaned to her sister and whispered something. The three of them laughed, and followed Bendel to the farmhouse where his parents, warned by Jacqueline, were hurriedly preparing refreshments for the stars.

Jacqueline had gone out the back door, to gather flowers. She was unaware of the fact that she had seen her parents alive for the last time.

When the three women stepped into the door, Bendel's mother and father stood respectfully. The man, who had been a great explorer in his day and had the ear of the king himself, opened his mouth to say how honored he was that the three had come to visit.

He never got the chance.

Without warning, the three women each drew a long glimmering knife from her belt and struck at the two adults. Bendel watched, horrified, as his parents fell to the ground, dead instantly. In shock, he knelt in the pool of their blood that had formed as swiftly as blood flows, tears coming to his eyes.

One of the glowing women knelt next to him.

"Why?" he asked, in English.

"One does not ask such questions of superior beings," she said haughtily, in harsh English. "The stars have our reasons. They were pathetic anyways."

When Bendel next looked up, they were gone.

And such fury boiled inside him as cannot be described. He let the torrent of emotion out in a stream of agonized and jumbled French, causing his sister to come running from outside. Her cry matched his as she saw her parents lying there, and her twin brother soaked in their blood.

**Stormhold, Fourteen Years into King Tristan's Reign (England 1874)**

A great change had overcome the farmhouse in which Bendel, Jacqueline, and their parents had once happily lived. Bendel had, as was proper, inherited the whole house and estate, but a darkness had shrouded the young man, consuming him and engulfing him in the curse of bitterness that the witch left behind when they attacked so long ago, masquerading as stars. She had really come to the farm with one purpose, and that was to enrage Bendel enough for him to seek out the destruction of the stars. The witch had hoped that the lad would find some way to call the stars down to earth so she could continually kill them and grow younger. Her hopes of youth had died when they were killed at the hand of King Tristan and his men. But her wicked desires for Bendel had lived on in her absence, for the man harbored a bitter hatred for the stars and had found, deep within a cave, the way to call them to earth and destroy them. That way had come in the form of precious jewels, powerful enough that, were they thrown into the air, they could pull the stars down to earth.

He spent a whole year, devoted to learning the secret of the jewels and experimenting with them. In this time, he had grown darker in character while he grew stronger and handsomer in body. He would have been terribly handsome to behold had he not been so consumed with wickedness and hatred, all caused by a deep, painful bitterness.

While he had changed over the course of many years, so had Jacqueline. She became more beautiful and kind, turning into a true lady, and drawing light in towards her as her twin drew in darkness. She hated the cruelty of the old farmhouse, despised how it had become so dark and menacing. This place held happy memories for her, and Bendel was fast destroying the good memories and filling them with cruel ones. The young woman barely ever saw her brother, he was so involved in his missions, and when he invited friends to the farm, she avoided them at all costs. They were vulgar men, thoughtless and heartless, and she often went to her chambers and locked herself in, keeping herself minimally safe.

But the day came when she could no longer stay safe. She had been passing by her brother's quarters when he heard him talking about calling down the stars and destroying them, and she could no longer hold back. With complete terror at the cold-blooded murder her brother was planning, Jacqueline ran, uninvited, into Bendel's rooms and pleaded with him for mercy for the stars. They were good creatures, powerful beings, and he couldn't possibly kill them! Didn't he remember the way they used to look at the stars and admire them from a distance? Didn't he know how the good Queen Yvaine herself was a star?

But Bendel refused to listen. He brought her forcefully to her chambers and locked her inside. He then sent for Garris, one of his deepest friends, a truly wretched man who had asked him, on several occasions, for Jacqueline's hand. In rage and mindlessness, Bendel met with the cruel warrior and informed him that his sister was waiting in her chambers for Garris to come and take her away.

Never in her life had Jacqueline been more terrorized than when Garris had walked through that door and took hold of her. He pulled her out of her chambers, and while she cried out and fought the whole way, she was no match for the powerful man. Her screams turned into cries of mercy as she and her captor moved towards Bendel, standing in the hallway, but her cold-hearted brother stepped aside, letting his sister and her consort pass by, informing Garris that he had Bendel's permission to do what he pleased to bring Jacqueline to a breaking point. The only thing he wanted Garris to promise was that the warrior would never let Jacqueline out of his castle, and to this Garris heartily agreed.

Bendel's gentle sister was locked into more chambers in Garris' castle and then spent a week doing whatever it was Garris gave her to do. She accompanied him to great dances, in which he pulled her far too close to his body for comfort, but there was nothing she could do. She served him and his friends meals, late into the night, and bravely endured their crude jokes, their blatant indications, and their evil eyes. Garris himself did little to threaten Jacqueline, but she found him constantly watching her with a look that was anything but kind and pure. No, he seemed to be musing in his mind whether it would be proper or not to harm her physically, and his gaze came to be something she dreaded.

By the end of the week, the master of the castle's intentions were perfectly clear, as he often caught Jacqueline in the most uncomfortable moments, brushing past her in the hallway, catching her eye every time he was near her, and touching her lightly and briskly, not in any inappropriate ways, but in ways that informed her that there was more on his mind.

The girl could barely stand any of that, but she bore it like a saint, until one particular afternoon found her alone in Garris' great dining hall, on her hands and knees on the floor, scrubbing up wine stains and dried juices crusted onto the great stones. She used a coarse brush, and tears rolled down her cheeks as her knuckles constantly scraped against the floor, chaffing them and making them bleed. The water stung her cuts, and she couldn't help but sit back and cry as she gazed at her bleeding knuckles, asking God what she had done to deserve any of this.

She heard Garris sit down next to her, shushing her with his deep voice, and she hadn't struggled when he took her hands in his and began to wipe the blood away with a damp cloth. He seemed so kind, strangely, and flattered her gently, treating her almost as one would a child. The blood was wiped away, and then he took her hands and lifted them to his lips, kissing her torn skin gently. And then he had looked at her with those dark hazel eyes of his, and she had experienced a great sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She scrambled to her feet only to find that her hands were still locked firmly in Garris', and while she pleaded for him to release her, he didn't, but instead stood up with her. She felt so small, so alone and scared, as he towered above her and told her everything that she had already seen in his eyes. Thoughts of Joseph, the son of Israel, flickered through Jacqueline's mind, and before Garris could do anything more than tell her of his desires, she, like Joseph, had fled, twisting her wrist in the process.

And so Jacqueline had escaped the castle, running in the middle of the night through dark, dense woods. Garris had immediately sent men after her, but only one remained close enough behind her for her to hear him. Alvar was Garris' greatest warrior, and he could ride a horse and track prey like no one in the rest of Stormhold. He very nearly caught her, but the wounded and frightened woman found her way to an old, crumbled wall with a significant hole in the middle, and she sprang through the hole just as he brought his horse to a stop next to her and attempted to get her.

But he was too late. Jacqueline was already through the wall and in an entirely different world.


	2. Two Different Girls

**I know Stardust isn't one of the more popular movies listed on this website, but I know some of you must have enjoyed it! Please, let me know what you think! My co-author and I always enjoy hearing even the slightest bit of input. And if you're interested in challenges, I now have a new one on my profile, so check it out if you're interested! Enjoy!**

**Chapter One – England, 1880**

Trying to at least _try_ to behave like the lady Victoria wanted her to be, Everly waited until the coach driver came to open the doors for her and her maid to get out of the vehicle itself. She had been watching the beautiful country roll by her outside the window for what seemed like hours, impatiently wringing her hands, wanting to get out of the stuffy carriage and experience the rolling hills of England for herself.

But Nurse was watching, and would report to Victoria. So Everly sat quietly, barely masking her excitement with a smooth face as she stepped out of the carriage. She wanted to at least pat the pretty gray horses that had pulled them for so far, but Nurse let out a warning grunt as she the coachman bent to pick up Everly's bags.

Chagrined, the girl turned to survey the house before her. Victoria's father – he insisted Everly call him "Grandfather" even though she wasn't Victoria's child – lived here, in the middle of the village of Wall, in England. It was a quaint house, probably hundreds of years old, on a street full of quaint houses almost exactly like it. Still, it had a certain charm about it, and for the first time Everly felt a thrill of excitement not related to the countryside.

Suddenly, the door to the house burst open and Grandfather burst out of it, greeting Everly with an enthusiastic handshake and a kiss on her hand.

"Everly, how you've blossomed," he said, eyes twinkling. "The last time I saw you, you were a wee babe. But my daughter has written me as much as she could from America, and I must say she didn't do your beauty justice in her descriptions."

Everly sighed. That sounded like Victoria.

"But come," Grandfather continued, "You will stay in the west room upstairs. It's the room your mother used; I hope you don't mind. Your nurse can use the room next door."

She knew he used the term "your mother" in mistake, but she forgave him it. Thanking him graciously, she followed Grandfather into the house, with Nurse and the coachman behind her carrying the bags. Her room faced the street, with windows that opened reluctantly but let in the pleasant breeze and aroma of the English spring. Grandfather stayed only long enough to inform her when supper would be, then left Everly alone to unpack and dress for the evening.

The girl sat on the bed, as comfortably as she could in her corset, and stared at her hands. She felt out of place. Here she was, an American girl sent to England for lessons on how to be a "proper lady".

At least Humphrey had slightly fatherly intentions. He didn't want her to spend all of her life in one place, or so he said, though Everly strongly suspected he wanted her to find a rich English husband. Then he and Victoria could move back to England and be very fashionable again. Or they could at least be more fashionable in America. All of their friends were sending their daughters to England, so of course Victoria and Humphrey had to as well.

Well, they sent Everly. She wasn't their daughter, as Victoria reminded her almost daily. She had been found on the doorstep of her father's house where she and Humphrey had been staying before their move to America. So chances were, Everly had been born right here in Wall. Wouldn't it be interesting if she found her real parents?

She shook that idea out of her head. That was preposterous. There had been a note attached to the basket that she'd been left in, saying that she came from across the wall the village was named after. And Victoria had expressly forbidden her from crossing it. Not that Everly would anyways. She'd climbed plenty of walls and trees in her time, but Victoria had made sure she hadn't packed any breeches appropriated from her brothers – Victoria's and Humphrey's natural children – and Everly didn't relish the idea of climbing anything in the many layers of petticoats and crinoline she wore under her skirt.

Nurse set about immediately to unpacking Everly's bags, though the young woman would have much preferred doing it herself. She wanted a little while alone, just to view her new surroundings and get a feel for where she was, but Nurse didn't seem eager to work quickly, and the older woman lingered, seemingly always present in the girl's life.

A full hour of removing clothing, folding it, hanging it up, and setting about Everly's room passed before there was a slight knock on the door. Nurse immediately went to it and opened it, then stepped back to allow the visitor to step into Everly's room.

The visitor was a young woman, Jack, by name, and she lived with Grandfather and his wife as an extra helping hand in the house. She was dressed in what must have been the most fashionable clothing in England, for her clothes were elegant and sophisticated, yet somewhat practical. Her long dark brown curls were pinned up, but a few of them managed to shake themselves free and hung about her face.

"Miss Everly, I have come to bring you to the dining room," Jack spoke with a faint smile and a very distinct, gentle French accent. "You had a pleasant voyage, I trust?"

"Yes. I'm not fond of sea travel, but the journey was rather pleasant," Everly nodded, following Jack out into a large hallway.

"I am glad to hear it. I've been informed that your mother and father wish you to learn the mannerisms of a respectable English woman. Am I correct?"

"Yes," Everly sighed. "They don't seem to believe me to fit their description of a proper lady of protocol."

"I see," Jack said easily and led her down a flight of stairs.

She didn't say anything more, and Everly bit her lip nervously. Perhaps the older woman thought her to be a mere child, incapable of being a friend, but in full need of some form of training. With the way Jack walked, tall and straight, proper and elegant, Everly couldn't help but feel insignificant and childish. The woman even dressed in a way that made her look older and more mature. Her silence left Everly very uncomfortable, and she bowed her head as she and Jack stepped into the dining room, where Grandfather and Grandmother were waiting.

"There she is!" Grandmother exclaimed, looking up from her spot at the table and smiling dazzlingly at Everly. "And so beautiful! Everly, I am Grandmother. I am assuming Jack introduced herself to you?"

"She did," Everly nodded, watching a servant pull out her chair for her and sitting down uncomfortably. "I'm afraid I don't really know how to behave in such an elegant place."

"Which is precisely why you were sent here and precisely why Jack has been instructed to help you learn," Grandfather said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Never fear, my dear. Let us pray and then enjoy the food that Thomas prepared for us, ay?"

After dinner, Everly's lessons began. Grandmother and Grandfather retired to play cards in the drawing room; Jack and Everly remained in the dining room, where the older woman instructed the younger in polite dinner manners.

"Sit up straight. I know the bustle gets in the way. Outside fork for first course, inside fork for second. Napkin in your lap." The woman's tone was firm, but warm. "You really don't want to learn any of this, do you?"

"How could you tell?" Everly sighed, leaning an elbow on the table.

"Elbows off," Jack grinned. "Perhaps we should skip the protocol for one night, hmm?"

"And do what? I'm supposed to be learning how to be a high-fashioned, well-to-do aristocratic woman," Everly frowned.

"Your mother wishes this of you?"

"My guardian, if you will. She's not really my mother."

"Then why do everything she says?"

"Because I don't know who my mother is. I was given to Victoria by someone, and I've remained in her care ever since."

"I see," Jack said, an eyebrow arched. "Why don't we go for a walk outside? There is such fresh air, and I really don't feel like teaching you any mannerisms right now. I feel like that's too obnoxious for a first meeting."

She stood up and led Everly to the front door.

"Grandfather, we're going out!" she called and then led Everly outside.

The young women found themselves on a dirt street that led through the small village, out towards the fields and farmlands.

"This place is so peaceful in comparison to New York," Everly commented as they walked along.

"What is New York like? I'm always curious to know about other places," Jack smiled.

"Very noisy and full of horses and carts at all hours of the day. It's hard to see the stars at night, because the sky is so fogged over with smoke. The air is rather foul to smell, because of the fish markets and shops there. I like it here much better," Everly said. "Here, you can see every star, and the air is sweet and fragrant." She waved her hand up towards the sky, gesturing to the shimmering stars.

"They say the stars can dance," Jack mused. "When they shimmer like that, they're dancing."

"How did you come to be here, Jack?" Everly asked as they followed a path down towards some of the more humble homes. "You're French, aren't you?"

"Mmm…Perhaps. I came here a few years ago and have stayed ever since. I ran away from home," Jack said easily. "When Grandfather and Grandmother found me, I was such a mess. But they took me in and let me stay with them, as somewhat of a daughter, I suppose."

She stopped outside one of the smaller, unflattering houses at the end of the street, and then glanced in the empty window.

"There's such a story with this house," she said, changing the subject entirely. "About a man who had a son delivered to him in much the same way you were given to Victoria."

"What happened?" Everly asked, immediately interested.

"A baby boy was delivered to the man who lived here, and the man took him in, named him Tristan, and raised him as his own son, though scandal would say the boy was indeed the man's son. Tristan grew to be a handsome young man, and one day, he disappeared, in the middle of the night."

"Disappeared?"

"Yes," Jack nodded. "Just like that. Later, he came back to woo your mother, or guardian, as you like. He was entirely changed. He had been over the wall that lies yonder in the fields. Extraordinary, isn't it? He and his father then left Wall, going into a land called Stormhold, and they haven't been seen since."

"So what has happened to this house?" Everly asked.

"Nothing. It's been sitting here, vacant, for years. Though it's so sad to leave such a quaint place to itself. Many of the villagers think it's haunted, simply because of the strange stories involved."

"The men disappeared to Stormhold? Over the wall? I've been told that that's where I'm from, though I really wouldn't know," Everly sighed.

"You wouldn't be the first," Jack said casually. "Let me show you some more of this place. It's really rather beautiful."

And so Jack led Everly through the small village, across great rolling fields, alongside the fading, fallen wall of old, and back to Grandfather's house.

The two women stepped inside, deciding to remain indoors for the rest of the night and retire to their separate beds. They never saw, as they turned their backs to the outside, one shimmering, magical ball of light plummet through the sky, soar across the wall, and then fall to the earth in a burning heap.

In her dream, Jack was in the sky. There was a white horse with her, with a single horn pointed straight to heaven. The unicorns had something important to tell her. Since they couldn't cross the wall from Stormhold to England, they kept in touch with her in dreams.

The unicorn in her dream tossed its head impatiently. Sighing, Jack swung up onto its back, finding herself clothed in a poet shirt and riding breeches. The unicorn pranced for a bit as she got situated, then as soon as Jack had her hands in its mane to hold on it was off. They streaked across the sky, faster than any wind. Jack would have laughed with delight, but she could sense that whatever the unicorn was going to show her was terrible.

First the unicorn slowed as it approached a crater made in the forest quite near Jack's previous home. The woman knew what it was without having to see the still-glowing figure laying at the bottom of it. Another star had fallen. The unicorn with Jack let out an anguished whinny, for there were none of its kind close enough to help the doomed celestial being. For already the dream-unicorn was wheeling towards Jack's home, where Jack could see a figure standing in the highest window.

It was Bendel.

He was watching the spot where the star had fallen, his face lit with sick glee.

"You see Mother and Father?" he whispered. "I'm avenging you. Those sick creatures won't last long."

Jack could have screamed or cried. Neither would have done any good. He wouldn't have been able to hear her, and the unicorn was fast turning another direction, the night coming to a close.

They crossed the crater again. The star was up walking now, taking in her surroundings and wondering what in the heavens had hit her and caused her to fall out of her place. Jack turned her face away. She knew what she would see next. For coming to the edge of the crater now were four of Bendel's men, and they had turned bloodthirsty eyes on the star. They had more in store for her than death, though she would wish her death come sooner than they planned. There were tears streaming from Jack's eyes as the unicorn turned towards England again.

Abruptly, they were in Jack's room at the house in Wall. Jack could see herself asleep in the bed; she still stood in her breeches by the unicorn. It was looking at her meaningfully. There was something else it had to say. Sighing, Jack put her hand to the unicorn's face. The response was immediate.

_Jacqueline, we cannot allow for this to happen! Your brother is determined to blot out every star in the sky, to leave the world in darkness! You must stop him!_

_But how?_ Jack wanted to know.

_There is a prophecy. You've heard whispers of it. There is one, of star blood but not star herself, that can free them. She was born of Tristan and Yvaine. She's with you now. She is the key._

_Everly?_ Jack thought, but the unicorn was gone. In its place, dawn light streamed through her window.


	3. Menace of the World Beyond the Wall

**Chapter Two: Menace of the World Beyond the Wall**

Everly was the daughter of Tristan and Yvaine? But how? That girl didn't even know to keep her elbows off the table, never mind be royal blood!

Jack didn't want to move the next morning when she woke up, but with a long sigh, she stood up and moved to her wardrobe of dresses and other fineries. She pulled on her corset herself and then called for a servant to help her lace it up. To be sure, she was greatly troubled as she slipped on her gown and let the servant button up the back. She had often been spoken to in dreams, but never with such urgency, and never had the unicorns come to her themselves in those hallucinations. Apparently, she needed to go back to Stormhold, and soon, but what if Everly wasn't really the one? The unicorn could have been wrong, and then Jack would be pulling an innocent girl into a ruthless battle. She had to make certain Everly really was the one, but how?

"Jack, you're uncommonly quiet," Grandmother spoke at the breakfast table as Jack joined her and the rest of the family.

"I had an unsettling dream," Jack sighed, sitting down next to Everly.

"What would this one be about?" Grandfather asked, immediately concerned. Jack's dreams were never ones to be taken lightly.

"Nothing that has to do with here," Jack smiled warmly. "Everly, how did you sleep last night?"

"All right," Everly said slowly. "I'm not much of a heavy sleeper, so every noise disturbs me."

"Ah," Jack nodded. "I understand."

"What plans do you have for the day?" Grandmother asked. "Jack, I'm assuming you'll be training Everly some more?"

"Yes," Jack nodded. "We're going to go to the general store and get some supplies, and then I'm going to begin teaching her how to play the piano. After that, we'll work on sewing, do a little cross-stitching, and then we'll go over mannerisms again."

"Very good," Grandfather nodded. "We shall all have our afternoon meal out on the back porch later. Now, let us eat."

They prayed and then ate, and Everly couldn't help but feel extremely nervous. Jack wasn't saying anything, making the girl wonder if perhaps she had done something wrong. She couldn't understand, of course, that Jack had exceptionally heavy things on her mind revolving greatly around the young woman in training. She couldn't understand that Jack had resolved to find some way of proving who Everly really was or why.

"Do you like horses?" Jack asked a short while later as she and Everly made their way to the general store, both with parisols and great hats.

"Yes," Everly said curiously. "Why?"

"Because I'd like to take you to see one tonight," Jack said, gazing ahead, dark green eyes serious and thoughtful. "He lives right next to the wall. His name is Philippe, and he's the sweetest creature."

"Does this have anything to do with my training?" Everly asked.

"Perhaps. Now when we go into the market," Jack said abruptly, "you aren't to speak with the store boys unless they speak to you, which, if they have the proper propriety, they won't. We'll let them carry our parcels for us when we've finished buying. Part of your training requires that you gain the ability to care for a busy household. Therefore, I want you to buy the proper products for a family of two. You'll need to get food for one meal. Do you think you can do that?"

"I've never had to buy food before," Everly said uncertainly. "Back at home we had servants do it."

"We want you to learn how to be self-sustaining as well as proper," Jack said easily. "Here we are."

She stopped outside the general store and waited as a store boy, tall, thin, and completely enamored by the lovely ladies, opened the door. Jack then nodded to Everly, and both girls stepped inside.

Everly had never been in a general store before. Servants had always done the shopping for whatever she and her guardians needed, and so she really didn't know where to look or what to get. Jack watched her with amusement as she moved throughout the store, looking at the different harness, bolts of cloth, candy, and other items that the store had to offer. This young lady was so uncertain, so naïve to the ways of shopping for a household!

Jack offered what assistant she felt necessary, pointing out different foods and letting Everly decide on the quantities. When finally Everly said she was ready, the women went up to the counter and told the clerk what it was they wanted. He immediately supplied them with a loaf of bread, a bulk of white cheese, and two brilliant red apples. He sent along one of the store boys to carry the goods for the ladies and then bid them good day.

Upon arriving back at the house, Jack put the supplies away, informing Everly that they would be using those groceries for dinner, and then she took the younger woman into the drawing room and sat her down at a baby grand piano.

"Do you play?" Jack asked.

"No," Everly sighed. "Mother of course bought a piano for the front room but never taught me to play. Too expensive to hire a teacher. Though sometimes I'll sing with her when she plays. She would show my voice off at parties." This last phrase was said with a snort, as if Everly didn't believe her voice was worth showing off.

Jack eyed her. "They say some voices can charm the curses from witches," she said quietly, so low that Everly didn't hear. Louder, the woman said, "Well, we'll see if she was right. Do you know this song?"

She placed her slender fingers on the delicate keys and drew a few chords from them. The sound of the sweet music caused Everly's eyes to light up.

"Yes!" the girl cried, "I do!"

Jack laughed. "Alright then. Let's hear it." She played the introduction to the song.

Everly took a deep breath, and sang.

_This is surrender_

_To a war-torn life I've lived._

_Scars and stripes forever_

_In need of change I can't resist._

_No need to hide anything anymore._

_Can't return to who I was before._

The melody to this first part of the song was slow and sad. Everly's voice warbled over the words sweetly, creating a beautiful contrast between the haunting words and her sweet voice. Jack was impressed. She kept playing.

_I can finally breathe._

_Suddenly alive._

_I can finally move._

_The world feels revived._

_This long of a struggle_

_Finally opened up my eyes._

_Revolution's not easy_

_With a Civil War on the inside._

_No need to hide anything anymore._

_Can't return to who I was before._

_I can finally breathe._

_Suddenly alive._

_I can finally move._

_'Cause I realize._

_I can finally breathe._

_Suddenly alive._

_I can finally move._

_The world feels revived._

It was the chorus where Everly's true talent showed. The higher notes were better-suited to her high-pitched vocal range, and she could belt them with all the triumph the music incited. And yet she sounded like no other singer that Jack had heard. There was a uniqueness to the girl's voice that gave it an angelic quality.

A heavenly quality.

Jack stiffened and stopped playing.

"Jack?" the younger girl asked, concerned.

Her mentor didn't look at her. "The last bit repeats a lot. It isn't necessary to play it."

"Oh."

"I think that's enough piano for one day," Jack said, getting up from the bench and smiling softly. "There's so much more to be done!"

The day moved much faster and was far more enjoyable than Everly thought it would be. She had expected it to be boring and tiresome, but Jack added her own bits of flavor to the day, making each task amusing and exciting for Everly. Who knew that cooking, with the way servants always complained about it, could be fun? Jack had shown Everly the delight of making and baking cookies, and both girls couldn't help but have fun blowing puffs of flour at each other and getting their aprons dirty.

Sewing hadn't been the greatest part of the day, for Everly knew very little about sewing, and Jack didn't particularly enjoy it, but between the two of them, they managed to sew a small handkerchief and then cross-stitched a beautiful flower into it.

Dinner was very pleasant, as the family came together and shared the meal. Everly was then instructed more on mannerisms, having to sit up straight, hold her silverware properly, and eat in a dignified and gracious fashion. She had never been a slob at eating, but there were so many rules she had never known!

After dinner, Jack took Everly out under the stars again and introduced her to Philippe. He was a large work horse, situated in one of the fields connected to the mysterious wall, Upon seeing the women, he had immediately sauntered over, grass drooping from his Palomino mouth and pieces of the green lush clinging to his cream-colored nose. He nibbled on one of the apples Jack and Everly had bought from the store earlier, and then he set about to grazing contentedly as the girls sat down in the tall, soft grass.

"This place is so beautiful," Jack said presently, her warm voice quiet and gentle. "When the time comes, I'll be sad to leave it."

"Are you leaving soon?" Everly asked, concerned. "Don't we have lots of training to go over still?"

"I may be leaving very soon," Jack nodded.

"But where you will go?"

"Back where I came from," Jack sighed, running her fingers through her long, tousled hair. "Back to trouble and responsibilities that I don't want to return to."

"Where are you from?" Everly frowned. "And why do you go back to such trouble?"

"I'm from over there," Jack said, tossing her head towards the wall in indication. "As for the trouble, there's someone I love dearly who needs a great amount of help. I have to do something to help him."

"Him?" Everly grinned.

"Oh, this isn't a light matter at all," Jack said, lying back and gazing up at the stars. "This has to do with my brother. But never mind all that. Look at the stars. They're making patterns tonight."

Everly lay back next to her and gazed up at the black velvet sky, staring at the shimmering stars. She could see an eagle in the constellations, and she smiled in satisfaction.

"Oh dear," Jack said a moment later, and her words were followed by a long sigh.

"What?"

"Don't you see the unicorn?"

"A unicorn?" Everly asked, squinting up at the stars.

"Your eyes glow in the starlight, rather mysteriously," Jack sighed again. "There's a unicorn, straight above us. See?"

Everly looked up to see the figure of a magnificent horse hovering overhead. He was holding his head high, and a line of stars atop his head made up a constellation that looked very much like a horn.

"He's pretty," she smiled.

"And he's stalking me," Jack snorted, sitting up and then pushing off the grass so she could stand up. "Let's go. I'm afraid I'll be leaving sooner than I thought."

"Wait! Can I come with you?"

"You want to come with me?" Jack asked, a fine eyebrow arched. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Maybe I can help," Everly shrugged.

"I don't want you going through that wall with me," Jack said, shaking her head. "No."

"But Grandfather and Grandmother won't let you go by yourself."

"I don't know about that. They know where I'm from," Jack said, reaching her hand out to Everly. "Let's go."

"I'm serious," Everly said, getting up and walking alongside her. "I'm from over the wall. I'm from Stormhold. I want to see what it's like there."

"Dark, evil, scary," Jack shuddered. "I should know."

"How? How would you know? Why did you run?"

"Look," Jack frowned. "You have no idea the things I've seen, and you don't want to. You've never watched someone you love be torn to shreds by bitterness, nor have you ever been sold as a servant to someone, forced to do their every bidding, but it good or bad."

She shivered again and shook her head violently.

"I don't want you coming. It's too dangerous for you. Your place is here."

"Is it really?" Everly asked. "I don't think so."

"What would you know about that?"

"You've been studying me carefully from the moment I got here. I'm sure there's a reason for it."

"Yes. You're under my instruction and my training. Is that not reason enough for me to study you?"

"There's more to it than that. I do have a brain, Jack."

"You're still not coming. It would take a lot for me to bring you over there."

"What does a lot entail?"

"Mmm… Something bothering me so much that, for some odd reason, I have to take you," Jack shrugged.


	4. Capture

**In which our two adventurers find themselves in an entirely different world…**

**I need to also make note that Everly's song in the previous chapter is "Breathe" by Anberlin.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Three: Capture**

In her dream, the unicorn was back. This time it was prancing around so nervously and letting out such agonized whinnies that Jack could barely mount. In her heart, she truly didn't want to hear what the unicorn wanted to tell her. She knew it would only be terrible news. Still, she swung up onto the troubled animal and they galloped through the sky towards Stormhold.

This time the unicorn did not stop by the crater. The magical woods of Stormhold had a habit of swallowing up damage much faster than the woods of England's world. Jack figured that the crater would be gone in a few days, tops.

But they went straight towards Jack's home. The woman could see that the party that had gone after the star had returned to Bendel. They were in drunken revelry downstairs, probably wrecking the whole of the ground floor, Jack thought. The unicorn wasn't interested in that. It took Jack to the upstairs window that had opened from her parents' room. Since it was a dream, both Jack and the unicorn made it through the window quite comfortably.

What awaited them was less comfortable. The star, dirty, broken, ruined, knelt before Bendel. He was the only person in the room besides the poor creature.

_The witch's curse on him hardens his heart against her pleas_, the unicorn whispered to Jack.

_Is there any way to end the curse?_ Jack wanted to know.

The unicorn nodded. _I do not know it_, it said, _but there is an end to all things evil._

"I have to find it," Jack said aloud to herself, not caring because Bendel couldn't hear her anyways. This was her dream.

The star on the ground stirred. Jack watched as she lifted her once-proud head to look at Bendel's knees. She didn't dare look into his face. She had been too much abused.

"Please," the celestial woman whispered. "End it."

Bendel drew a thin dagger from his belt. Bending, he grasped the star's neck and lifted her to his level, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"You're welcome," he said softly as he used his dagger to draw a red line across her throat, ending her once-glorious life. Then he let her body fall to the floor of his parents' bedroom. "For you, Mother and Father," he said to himself. As he shouted for someone to come clean the mess of the star up, the unicorn was taking his twin sister back to her room in England where she slept.

Jack was up in a heartbeat. In a cold sweat, she nearly flew to Everly's room. Later, she would wonder what in the worlds had possessed her to get the clearly very American cultured, coiffed, and very much still a girl Everly, but it was Jack's first instinct. To her surprise, Everly was already awake when she got in there.

"Jack?" she cried, "I couldn't sleep. What's going on?"

"Come with me," Jack said, taking her arm and pulling her towards the door. "We're going over the wall."

Neither woman stopped to think that both of them were wearing nightgowns as they stepped into the English summer night. It was humid, and the clouds covering the moon and stars promised rain soon, though perhaps not until morning.

The gap in the wall had gone unguarded since the old guard had retired twenty years ago. No one had come to replace him, and no one cared to. You just didn't cross the wall. Besides, the field across which it ran had grown heavy with great weeds taller than the women working their way towards it. Proper English ladies and gentlemen wouldn't dare go through it all.

The other side of the wall, the Stormhold side, had turned into a great forest.

When the two women were about to jump the gap, Everly stopped short. Jack still had her arm, so this caused her to stumble. She turned to the younger woman, annoyed.

But Everly was looking straight into the forest on the other side of the wall.

"Victoria," she said quietly, "Forbade me."

Jack nearly exploded. "You're thinking about that _now_?!"

Her companion looked at her, startled.

"Honestly, Every! Would you rather have Victoria angry at you or someone die because of you?"

"Jack, _what_–?!"

"No time!" And with that, Jack pulled Everly through the gap in the wall, into Stormhold.

The forest was still young, and so thick with smaller trees and bushes that made running nearly impossible. So Jack walked fast, dragging Everly behind her. She was beginning to regret bringing the younger woman. Everly was every inch a lady, or trying to be one, and not used to this much exercise. Besides, every few steps she would ask Jack another question, to which Jack would reply curtly. She just wanted Everly to be quiet.

Finally, after an hour, they reached the edge of the forest. Before them lay a great plain, behind the horizon of which lay Jack's destination.

"Alright," she told Everly, pulling her along, "We only have to cross the field, then descend the cliff. It should only take a couple of hours."

Everly was already nearly exhausted, but her eyes were still bright with excitement. She opened her mouth to ask another question, but Jack cut it off with a look.

"Save your breath," the older woman said softly. Her voice was low and dangerous. "We need to be silent in our travels from here on. Besides, you won't tire yourself out as much while you're running if you aren't asking questions." Then she took Everly's hand in her own again, and they were off across the field.

Every was just beginning to feel like she couldn't go for another step when suddenly, the field ended. It dropped into a ravine, at the bottom of which was an ancient-looking small castle.

"Now doesn't that look like the inviting place?" Jack commented, pulling Everly down a rocky pathway towards the castle. "Hopefully we'll at least find some breeches and shirts there."

"Breeches and shirts?" Everly gasped.

"Darling, you're wearing a nightgown," Jack rolled her eyes. "And we need men's clothes to move about comfortably in this world. We have a long travel ahead of us, and we need to be comfortable for our journey."

"But where are we going?" Everly asked, sliding down the rocky slope and then grabbing hold of Jack when she tripped.

"My home, though it's not much of a home anymore. Look, I have a twin brother who's intent on hunting out and murdering stars. Don't ask me to explain it all, confound it, and please stop asking questions. For now, trust that we need different clothes. You'll learn more with time."

Everly didn't say anything more, but stopped at the large doors to the castle when they arrived there. She watched, eyes still bright with excitement, as Jack grabbed one of the heavy door handles and pulled the door open. They stepped into an immense entrance, huge, dark, and covered with glass. Every window was broken, the glass shattered all over the floor, banisters, and stairs. There were two stairways, leading up to some sort of veranda with a large table placed on it. A fountain of water ran from the veranda to the first floor, making the only sounds audible in the castle.

"This is the place of a murderer," Jack breathed. "Let's find some clothes and get out. I don't like it here."

She stepped forward, pulling Everly with her. As soon as they stepped into the decrepit castle, a whole mass of bats flew from the open windows above the veranda, screeching and flapping their wings wildly. They swarmed around the young women, making both drop to the floor. Everly screamed as they rushed against her, their leathery wings brushing against her skin, and Jack just sighed, holding her hands over her hair to keep the rodents from getting tangled there.

The bats rushed out the front doors, leaving the girls alone.

"Come on," Jack said, getting up and pulling Everly up along with her. "Everly, you're going to see things in this world you thought you'd never see. You may as well be warned."

"What else?" Everly shuddered.

"Creatures you never thought existed, animals that you've only heard of in stories, and all sorts of pain and ugly scenes," Jack said, stepping over more glass and then moving towards an open doorway in the side of the building. "Here's a bedroom. There's bound to be some clothes in here."

She was right. There, on a large bed in the dark room, were several shirts and breeches, all folded up neatly at the foot of the furniture.

Without any more questions, Everly slipped out of her nightgown, grateful for the undergarments she had to help form her feminine figure even when wearing men's clothing. She was surprised at how comfortable the clothes actually were, though quite large. She hadn't expected men's clothes to be so comfortable and free. Her shirt was a pirate shirt that laced up in the front and hung long, about down to her lower thighs. Her breeches were loose and free flowing, and she tied them to her waist with a brown strip of leather waiting on the bed. She felt strangely giddy with all the excitement, and she turned to Jack, pleased with herself and wanting to show the other girl what she had accomplished.

She found Jack to be dressed in a similar outfit, but with dark brown breeches rather than black. The woman's hair was down and wild, making Everly wonder how she hadn't figured out before that Jack was from a different world. The woman also had a sheath held against her waist, and in it was a sword, long, almost to the woman's ankle.

"Are you prepared to go?" Jack asked, moving towards Everly, her hand on the hilt of her sword.

"Yes," Everly nodded, following Jack back into the center of the room. "How far away is your home?"

"Several days, I'm afraid," Jack said, glancing back once more at the menacing chandeliers that loomed above, the table on top of the veranda, and the general destruction of the place. "Come on. I want to get out of here. We'll find food along the way."

They stepped outside and began to walk away from the castle and up the steep incline. It was difficult just beginning the walk, for the ground was both slippery and rocky in different places, making the travel cumbersome. Everly was unaccustomed to such labor, and she trudged along behind Jack, who had trained herself well in surviving difficult terrain.

Neither woman saw the man sitting astride a gallant stallion, watching them from the tops of the cliffs. Dark eyes followed the two figures, and Alvar smiled slyly from atop his steed. He leaned over the horse's neck in a casual manner, draping his arms across the horse's thick mane and smiling with satisfaction. He had waited many years for this, and he found it amusing that Jack and her comrade would be walking about wearing his clothes. It seemed luck was on his side tonight. He had just come back from bathing in a lake not too far away. He could have missed Jacqueline's return. Ah well.

Alvar sat up on his horse and then urged the stallion forward, pressing him to move swiftly towards the field the two women were approaching. Jacqueline may have avoided his grasp before, but he was resolved that she wouldn't do it again.

The rain began less than ten minutes later, drenching Jack and Everly as they climbed up the cliffs and stepped onto a large grassy field. The adrenaline and energy Everly originally had was now gone, leaving the young woman exhausted and in great want of sleep. Her muscles were in complete pain, and she trudged along weakly, trying to keep up with Jack, who walked with a strong, determined step.

They hadn't been walking on the field for five minutes when Jack stopped abruptly, and Everly, in a sleepy stupor, collided with the older woman's back.

"Jack?" Everly asked drowsily. "Can we maybe stop and rest? I'm so tired."

"Shh," Jack warned, putting her fingers on Everly's lips and moving her head about cautiously, as though looking for something. "Someone's coming."

"Maybe they can help?" Everly yawned.

Jack turned her head again, her dark eyes gazing suspiciously over the field, and she let out a sharp gasp when she caught sight of a magnificent stallion clambering up a slope and then moving rapidly towards them.

She knew that stallion and she knew his rider.

"Great heavens above!" she gasped, grabbing Everly's arm and beginning to run, fast, back towards the cliffs, hoping to get down and hide beneath some of the great rocks. "Run, Everly!" she demanded, a cold sweat breaking on her forehead.

Everly did as she was told, though she was too tired to move very quickly and she hadn't trained herself to run.

The horse, naturally, could outrun Jack with ease, and within seconds, he was running alongside her, making it so Jack was directly next to Alvar. Jack's eyes widened with fear as she glanced up into Alvar's face and saw the darkness there. In an attempt to keep her friend safe, Jack let go of Everly's arm and shoved her away before she dropped to the grass and scrambled for safety, staying low to the ground in the hopes of evading Alvar's outstretched arm. She heard the stallion, Excalibur, by name, slide to a stop and snort, and she listened, struggling to her feet, as someone landed in the grass near her.

She knew better than to try and outrun Alvar on foot. He had the reputation of being a stealthy hunter, and running would give him good excuse to trap her in a way that was far from comforting. No, she wouldn't run, but she would turn to face her adversary.

She pivoted, turning so sharply that Alvar nearly collided into her. Before he could attack, the woman's sword was drawn and she was holding it before her bravely, making him stop abruptly.

"I've been waiting for your return, Lady Jacqueline."

"I noticed," Jack growled, continuing to hold her sword in front of her protectively.

"So has Garris. He's been so worried about you."

"He doesn't have enough other women to satisfy him?" Jack growled, catching a movement from the corner of her eye.

Everly had recovered from her fall and was moving slowly towards Jack, unsure about what to do. Jack met the girl's confused gaze, and implored Everly, silently, to stay there.

The shocked young woman from the United States really couldn't have done anything if she wanted to. In her day and time, in her world, it was considered scandalous for a man to even be seen, just briefly, without his shirt on by any woman. But this man in front of her wore no clothing on his upper body. He was naked from the waist up, showing great, powerful muscles that lined his body. He had, on his left forearm, a tattoo, yet another completely taboo thing in Everly's world, of a vine wrapped around his arm, and intermingled in the leaves was a lithe dragon. Everly felt so much disdain and guilt at seeing a man in such a condition, that she very nearly went into shock.

Jack's brief distraction was all Alvar needed. In an instant, his sword was out and slamming against Jack's, throwing her off-balance. She stumbled back and then pushed forward, blocking his attack with her sword. The sword in her hands was heavy, being a broadsword, and she hadn't used a sword in a long while, so she was weaker and more unprepared than she would have liked to be.

Everly wanted desperately to help as she watched Jack and the warrior engage in a ferocious swordplay, but she knew nothing of swords and believed that she would only make things more difficult for Jack. She also couldn't bring herself to look at the fight much, because it was entirely immodest of her to look at Alvar's fine-tuned, muscular body, and she gasped and grimaced every time his body came into contact with Jack's. She was amazed that the sophisticated, mannerly, completely gentlewoman would even know how to hold a sword, never mind use it so well, and that she would let herself get so close to this unclothed man.

She was also completely astounded by this whole new world she found herself in. Swords? Women running around in men's clothing? Warriors that fought with a vengeance? What a strange place!

Jack spun wildly, bringing her sword up and hoping to catch Alvar across the stomach, but he jumped back and then swung forward, bringing his blade slicing through the fabric of her sleeve and dragging across her shoulder. She didn't shout, but hissed in pain through her teeth. One hand immediately went to her shoulder, and her eyes darkened when she felt the liquid oozing out onto her fingers. With a shout of rage, she lunged forward, dodged low, and then slammed her sword against Alvar's leg, but only the broad side of the blade hit the man, and while it would leave an enormous bruise later, it didn't put him off now.

Everly grimaced as the two continued to fight, her eyes closed, but hearing every move. Jack was tiring fast, and the loss of blood was making her somewhat dizzy. Her sleeve was dyed a deep red, making Everly want to retch when she was brave enough to look up.

Jack let out a cry, and Everly forced herself to watch as her friend fell, landing hard on her back and elbows. Alvar went down with her, landing with one knee in between her legs and his hands holding his sword to her throat. Everly then looked away again, blushing furiously at the position of Alvar's body in line with Jack's. How absolutely inappropriate! How could such a man bring himself to be so immodestly close to a woman's body, when he was partially unclothed and she was sprawled helplessly on the ground?!

"My, how I hate having to put you in this awkward position," Alvar scowled, moving one hand to his side and pulling out a chain of sorts from his breeches' pocket.

"Don't lie, you rat!" Jack gasped as he grabbed one of her wrists and wrapped the chain around it. She watched, eyes wide, as the chain magically clipped itself into place around her wrist and glowed eerily. "You act like such the gentleman, yet you'd knock a woman to the ground and hold her captive! How dare you!"

"If I wasn't a gentleman," Alvar sighed, letting the other end of the chain wrap around his wrist and clip into place. "Then I'd be demanding you return my shirt to me."

Jack let out a cry of mortification and her cheeks flamed red as Alvar got to his feet and pulled her up with him.

"Now you can make this simple, Jacqueline, and come along with me, or you can make it difficult and I'll drag you behind Excalibur. It's your choice."

"You'll take me right back to Garris," Jack shouted, struggling against the cord wrapped around her wrist and breathing heavily as the loss of blood was taking its toll.

"It's my responsibility, as his warrior," Alvar said simply, leading her towards where his stallion stood.

"How about your responsibility as a human?" Jack gasped, her wrist hurting as he dragged her along. "You know what Garris has in mind! His whole castle knew what that man wanted from me! How can you return me to such a being?"

"My lord's matters are none of my concern, excluding this one," Alvar said easily. "He had me wait for your return, and here you are. He'll be most pleased to see you."

In a last act of desperation, Jack reached out and grabbed hold of the dagger, positioned snuggly in a sheath against the man's muscular forearm. She brought the blade slipping against the bare skin of his chest, dragging it from his collarbone down to his side.

And then, the most peculiar thing happened.

The first thing that went through Alvar's infuriated mind, aside from yelling in pain, was to slap that woman till she fell unconscious to the ground, but he was never given the chance. Jack was completely exhausted. She had used all her energy in the fight, and her wound had rapidly taken all of her strength from her. She saw the scarlet blood immediately line his body, seeping onto his flesh, and the sight of it made her sick and unstable. So weak was she that she fell to the ground in a heap, her whole body worn out. Her eyes closed halfway, and then she faded completely into unconsciousness.

Alvar moved to her cautiously, and with a small smile of satisfaction, he picked her up and carried her towards Excalibur.

"You can come, if you'd like," he spoke, almost looking as though he was talking to no one in particular.

Everly looked about her, her eyes completely avoiding Alvar's body, wondering if, perhaps, someone else was standing near her that he was addressing.

"I was talking to you, girl," the warrior said, swinging up into the saddle and holding Jack's limp body against his own. His dark eyes moved to Everly and met her gaze. She was surprised to see that he didn't really have a dark countenance. His eyes were dark colored, but behind their darkness was what appeared to be a far nicer interior. That surprise did little to mask her astonishment at the idea, the very idea, that Jack was being held against a bare chest, and a man with said bare chest was talking straight to her, Everly, unashamed and not caring.

"You aren't one of Garris' servants, are you?" Alvar asked, holding Excalibur back from moving.

"N…no," Everly said uncertainly.

"Then you don't have any reason to be afraid. Come up behind me."

"I…I've been taught never to go anywhere near…a…a…"

"A what?" Alvar asked impatiently, holding his energized horse back from moving.

"A man with so little…clothing."

Alvar burst out laughing at that, and shook his head.

"Do you consider my intentions inappropriate? Come now, I was returning from a dip in the lake when I saw you both racing away with my clothes. Be grateful I'm as covered up as I am. You may as well get accustomed to this sight, my lady, for I much prefer to walk about in such a fashion. Now, would you care to come along, or shall I leave you behind?"

Everly approached the stallion cautiously and then paused at his side, uncertain as to what she should do. She couldn't leave Jack, but she didn't know what this man had in mind, and she _certainly _didn't want to be anywhere near that bare skin. She wasn't given much time to think because, quite suddenly, Alvar reached down, wrapped one arm around her, and hoisted her up behind him. She yelped as she almost lost her balance on the horse, and she put her arms lightly around him, uncomfortable with touching so much skin. Well, uncomfortable was an understatement. Her hands quivered like crazy as just the edges of her fingertips touched his skin, too terrified to really hold him.

"Darling," Alvar sighed, rolling his eyes. "If you're trying to be more modest, I can assure you, wrapping your arms around me would be far more acceptable than letting your fingertips brush across me like that."

Everly blushed a fiery red and hastily wrapped her arms around him, squeezing her eyes shut and grimacing as she did so.

Alvar didn't take notice of it, but urged Excalibur forward, back towards the castle in the valley.

"Why are we going back?" Everly demanded worriedly as the horse cantered along.

"To get my things and provisions for the journey to Lord Garris. I also have a new cut to attend to, and I need to tend to Jacqueline's cut. It's bleeding rather badly, and Garris won't want her to return to him in any way damaged. How did you get involved in this mess?" Alvar asked.

"What mess?"

"Just being with the Lady Jacqueline is enough to get you into trouble right now."

"I don't understand. Who is Garris? Why does he want her? How is she in trouble?"

"She hasn't told you anything, has she?" Alvar chuckled. "Am I to assume you came with her from the other side of the wall?"

"That's right," Everly nodded.

"And what has Lady Jacqueline been masquerading about as in your world?"

"Just a classy young lady with good manners," Everly said, holding on tighter as Excalibur began to clamber down the cliffs to the castle.

"Lady Jacqueline is almost a princess in this world. Had she not run away, she _would_ be a princess by now. She was given to my master, Lord Garris, for a wife. She evaded him and finally ran away. He sent me to wait for her and bring her back to him."

"He must have something terribly wrong with him for her to run away."

"No. He's a man accustomed to getting his needs met, that's all."

Nothing more was said. When they arrived at the castle, Alvar helped Everly off Excalibur's back and then proceeded to get off himself and then slip Jack back into his arms. The woman was still unconscious, and he rested her easily against his chest and carried her into the castle with Everly.


	5. The Irritating Warrior

**Chapter 4: The Irritating Warrior**

To Everly, the terror the dilapidated castle invoked in her was increased by at least threefold when she had to stay in it with a half-naked warrior with a tattoo, and her only friend still unconscious. So she was huddled in a corner, watching as Alvar tended to his and Jack's wounds. His was the shallower of the two, so he attended to the cut on the woman's arm first.

"I don't know how accustomed you are to the sight of blood, Lady Everly," he called from across the room. He had Jack lying down on the elevated table above the fountain so he could more easily reach her wound. "But she is going to need stitches. It may take a while, you may sleep if you like. Or run off. It's your choice."

The girl, despite being almost entirely frightened out of her wits and still trying to avoid the traumatizing sight of the muscular, shirtless man, had enough sense to know that she had no way of knowing whether or not he would come after her again even if she decided to run off. Besides, someone had to watch over Jack and make sure she didn't get into too much trouble. And Everly had no idea how she would get anywhere without the aid of the warrior with the tattoo or her friend who was at this moment being tended by said warrior.

So she remained in her corner by the fireplace, which Alvar had lit a fire in for her warmth. She was exhausted from running for most of the night. The sun she could see peeking in through a grimy window to her right. She leaned back into her corner, intending to rest her head for a few moments.

A stream of angry French coming from Jack's mouth awakened her later, echoing through the palace.

"Really Lady Jacqueline," came Alvar's cool voice, "You have a reputation for never having uttered an obscenity in your life. It would be a pity if you ruined that reputation now, and it sounded as if you were about to."

"Well, look at the position you put me in!" Jack snarled. She had switched back to English even though she knew he understood French, because she had spoken English almost exclusively for four years and it felt strange to be using her native tongue.

"It is a convenient position, or was until you rose," Alvar said calmly. "Now I'm going to have to get closer to you to finish stitching the wound."

Everly, fully awake now, nearly gagged.

"Where is Everly?" Jack demanded.

Alvar made an impatient noise. Everly couldn't see what was going on, but she assumed he was finishing dressing Jack's wound before he answered any of her questions.

"She's asleep by the hearth, or was a few minutes ago. I assure you, she's quite safe. Too frightened to run off, almost surprising, considering her parents–"

He was cut off by a hiss from Jack.

"Well then go get her if you would like," Alvar said, Everly imagined through clenched teeth. Despite his nonchalant façade, he was getting annoyed. "Just don't think of running off. Garris would be quite annoyed at that, I'd wager, and he wouldn't appreciate it if I had to bring you back in more than one piece. We'll leave when the sun reaches the zenith."

Everly heard Jack's footsteps coming towards her, and stood. Her friend's arm had been wrapped delicately above the elbow. They both looked like messes, hair everywhere and faces streaked by the rain from earlier. But Everly was so glad to see her friend that she ran to her and threw her arms around her, careful of the bandage on Jack's arm. Jack was so relieved that Alvar had been telling the truth and the girl was safe that she didn't even mind when Everly burst into tears on her shoulder. The poor girl had had a rough night. Jack would give her this one.

Alvar heard Everly crying and sighed. Really, the girl would be eighteen now, which made her a grown woman with no reason for tears. Still, he'd never quite understood women anyways. But he knew she would get over it before he made them leave. Or he would make her.

True to Alvar's word, he started moving packs towards the door just before noon. Everly and Jack had barely allowed themselves to entertain fantasies of escape. He hadn't left the large main room of the castle, keeping an ever-watchful eye on the two of them. The castle was surrounded on all sides by bare rock, and even if they managed to get up the cliff before he caught them on horseback there was nothing around except for a flat plane. They had thought of stealing his horse, but neither of them knew where he kept the stallion and didn't relish the idea of searching the decrepit castle.

One thing bothered Everly, though she didn't voice it to Jack. Alvar had mentioned her parents. Did he know them? Evidently he thought so. How strange.

Mercifully, Alvar put on a shirt before he approached the women directly, more for his own benefit than their comfort, since he was going to be traveling in the sun and didn't want to burn. Jack glared at him but didn't move, as he had rendered her left arm useless and sensitive. Everly, who had put her and Jack's hair up and out of their faces, shrank back from him only slightly. He ignored her.

"Come now, Lady Jacqueline," he said in his cool tone. "You really don't think I'm going to let you travel with me unfettered." That said, he grasped her wrist firmly and once more wrapped the enchanted chain around it. His wrist, as well, was bound so that she couldn't go far from him. He had taken her weapons earlier, so she was fully his prisoner. Then he pulled her to her feet, and reached for Everly's hand. She took it, and he pulled her up as well. He led the way outside, dragging Jack and Everly following helpless, to where his horse was waiting, fully loaded with provisions for their journey. The stallion snorted and flicked his ears forward at the sight of Everly. Taking advantage of her limited freedom, Everly walked up to him and let him sniff her hand. He surprised her by licking it, and she squealed.

Alvar rolled his eyes, making sure everything was secure. He had thought that his horse was as hardened a warrior as he was, but apparently Excalibur still had a weakness for pretty girls. Grunting, he took the rope attached to the horse's bridle and started walking, a reluctant Jack attached to him and Everly following.

"Some gentleman you are," Jack muttered, slipping into French, "Not even letting the women ride your horse."

If Alvar heard her, he didn't respond.

When they reached the top of the cliffs, they turned opposite the way they had come from last night. Everly had a strange sense that they were going deeper into Stormhold, farther away from the Wall and all she was familiar with. It was a strange feeling of foreboding mixed with a thrill of adventure. Now that Alvar was wearing a shirt, it was just like the fantasy stories that Victoria had disapproved of her reading. She'd never expected to be wearing men's clothing, but it was cooler and much more comfortable than the layers of petticoats and dresses she had worn back in her world.

Still, her legs were not accustomed to all this exercise, and she began to stumble after a few miles. It wasn't much of a problem until she ceased tripping over rocks and began tripping over her own feet. Her muscles trembled with pain, complaining that they weren't used to this much work.

Alvar noticed this and, with a sigh, stopped the horse and walked over the Everly. Then he folded his hands together and bent over towards her.

"Come on," he said when she hesitated, "Just like a stirrup."

She bit her lip, then lifted her boot into his hands and with his help swung up onto the big stallion. Excalibur snorted, confused. He wore no proper saddle, yet here was a young and inexperienced rider on his back.

"I know, old boy," Alvar said, patting the horse, "But she doesn't weigh much. You'll be fine."

And with that he began walking, horse and Jack following on foot. Everly, once she got the hang of squeezing the horse between her legs to hold on and grasping his mane, gave Alvar a polite, "Thank you."

He didn't even turn to look at her. "You were slowing us down," was his only reply, "And if I left you behind Lady Jacqueline would only be that much more reluctant to come with me."

The girl looked at Jack, who was still tied to the warrior by the enchanted chain. The older woman could only shrug.

They traveled in silence until the sun was just entertaining the thought of touching the western horizon. All in one motion, all three travelers and horse froze.

"Something is wrong," Everly whispered.

No one stopped to wonder why it was that the American girl instinctively knew something was wrong in Stormhold. For at that moment, a great tremor ripped through the ground beneath them, causing Alvar and Jack to fall to the ground and Everly to tumble off of Excalibur's back. However, the warrior and his captive were up again in an instant, Everly a beat behind. She would carry a nasty bruise on the shoulder she had landed on, but otherwise she was unhurt.

"Smoke," Alvar said quietly. He could smell it.

Jack nodded. They crept forward, following their noses. Everly followed as silently as she could, which was to say impressively stealthy. She received no orders to go back, so she didn't. Excalibur would have followed obediently, but Alvar did stop to tie him to a tree.

Suddenly, the forest dropped from in front of them into a new and (judging from the smoke) freshly made crater. A bright light lay at the center of it, though the light was fast dimming now that the woman who belonged to it was waking up and viewing her surroundings. She had no idea what had knocked her out of the sky, especially at this early hour. She wasn't supposed to even be awake yet!

Jack, recognizing the woman as a star, gasped and tried to lunge forward. But Alvar held her back, covering her mouth lest she try to make any other noise and give them away.

"It's too late," he said, "You can't help her now. Look."

Indeed, on the other side of the crater, and far closer to the star than the travelers, stood a single figure. Alvar had let his hand slip for a moment, and so Jack was able to let "Bendel" escape her lips before he covered them again with his hand.

The three of them watched as Jack's twin brother descended into the crater.

"Everly, you may want to avert your eyes," Alvar warned coolly.

But Everly was transfixed. Her eyes hadn't strayed from the woman in the crater. She felt…_connected_ to the woman somehow. Like the woman was a member of her family she had never known.

But Bendel was fast descending on the star. Everly barely had time to register that the man with blonde hair and dark clothes – it was all she could distinguish from her distance from him – was near the woman when suddenly the air was pierced by the woman's dying scream. There was a flash of red – the woman's blood, Everly realized, suddenly sick – and she fell to the ground.

Jack couldn't hear him from here, but she knew that Bendel must have whispered a "For you, Mother and Father" before he had destroyed the star.

Alvar had had enough. He grasped Jack's arm firmly in one hand and Everly's in the other and turned them away from Jack's brother's misdeed. When they reached the horse, both women's legs gave out beneath them. Alvar let Everly go so she could throw up in the bushes nearby. Jack he supported, knowing that if she fell there was a good shot he would be dragged down as well. So he let her cry into his shirt.

Still, she was more hardened than her companion, and so her tears dried into a crumpled silence long before Everly was finished. Hearing the panicked breathing of the girl going into shock, Alvar set Jack down gently so that she was leaning on a tree, and went over to Everly. She was curled into a ball on the ground, gasping. Her vomiting had ceased, but her stomach was still trying to force its way out of her throat, not allowing her to breathe. Sighing, Alvar repositioned her so that she was sitting more or less upright, then slapped her hard across the face. Jack cried out in protest, but he ignored her. Everly coughed, finally able to breathe, and was gulping air as fast as she could get it.

"Deep breaths," Alvar said, watching apathetically as tears sprang to her eyes from the pain he had inflicted, "Or you'll choke yourself again."

She didn't look at him, but brought her hands to cradle her cheek, which was fast gaining a red mark in the shape of his hand. Still her breathing slowed, and Alvar left her.

Jack was glaring at him when he returned to check on Excalibur. "Was there another way you could have accomplished that?" she asked. All thoughts of the murder her brother had committed had been replaced by worry for Everly.

"No," Alvar said. The stallion wasn't any the worse for wear, and was instead prancing around looking worriedly in Everly's direction, to the warrior's annoyance. "She was going into shock. She couldn't breathe."

Jack was silent for a moment. "Why?" she asked simply.

He sighed. "As I said before, you are a lot less likely to come peacefully with me if she dies."

"Not to mention you'd be dead if anyone loyal to the king found out you were responsible for her death." Jack muttered.

He grinned. "What makes you think they would find out?" he asked, just to make her uncomfortable. Then he walked back over to Everly, the magic chain stretching out, and picked the girl up easily. She was in no state to feel uncomfortable being so close to a man, and so made no complaint as he hoisted her onto the stallion's back.

Night finally arrived; finding the travelers in a thick wood, nearly hidden from the sky by dense leaves and vines.

"Here is where we stop," Alvar said, stopping Excalibur and watching as Everly climbed off the stallion.

"Good," Jack sighed. "Now perhaps you could be so kind as to assist me, just for a moment." She held her wrist up, slightly burned from the chain around it, and Alvar laughed.

"No, I don't think so. Until I get you safely back to Garris, you are wearing that chain."

Jack scowled and then plopped down on the grass.

"Do we have anything to eat?" Everly asked wearily.

"Of course," Alvar said, pulling out several chunks of dried meat from the sack that had been over his shoulder all day. "Here."

He handed her and Jack each a piece and then moved to Excalibur and took the horse's saddle and bridle off, leaving just a halter on the great stallion. He handed each piece of tack to Jack, who was forced to stand and move with him. He could see the woman's eyes fast at work as she held his supplies. Those dark orbs were taking in the stallion's strong body, contemplating every possible means of escaping on the horse.

"Whatever plans you manage to come up with," Alvar said easily, pulling Jack away from the horse and sitting down on the grass, "I can counter them."

Jack didn't say anything, but remained standing as the group began to eat.

"So we're all sleeping here tonight, and you aren't letting me go?" she asked presently.

"What sort of fool do you take me to be?" Alvar asked. "You escaped once. Would I really let you go for the night?"

"That wasn't my question," Jack said coolly.

"Yes, we're all sleeping here. Unless, of course, Everly would like to leave," Alvar said with a shrug. "Oh, and that does remind me…"

He reached into his sack and pulled out a small diamond in the shape of an arrowhead.

"Garris will be wanting to know where we are."

"Wait! No!" Jack cried, lunging towards him and throwing her hands over his. "Please don't!"

"Lady Jacqueline," Alvar warned, "Must I demonstrate to you again how my strength surpasses yours?"

"Why are you so intent on giving her over to Garris?" Everly asked with a sigh. "Would it be so bad to just let her go?"

"It would. It would mean the loss of several hundred pounds in currency," Alvar nodded. "And she is Garris's servant, whether or not she likes it. Once a slave or servant in this world, always a slave or servant, unless some unfortunate event comes to pass that ends that. Jacqueline, let go."

Fingers trembling, Jack let go of the warrior's hand and watched, eyes glassy, as he threw the diamond into the air and it transformed into a small owl. The owl let out a hoot and then flew up above the trees, moving towards Garris's domain.

"I suggest we all get some sleep," Alvar said, positioning his sack so that it shaped a pillow. "Here."

He reached into the bag and pulled out a blanket. He tossed it at Everly and then looked up at Jack, still standing uncertainly, watching him.

"My lady, for your comfort, I would advise you sleep down here, in the grass. Standing while you sleep may work well for horses, but for women, it would be most uncomfortable."

"As though you would really care," Jack frowned.

"Hmm. Suit yourself. I'll just get comfortable next to Everly then."

Everly gasped in dismay and scooted back, away from the warrior, her eyes wide with discomfort. Jack growled and then sat down on the grass, planting herself firmly between Alvar and Everly.

"There. I'm sitting. Happy?"

"Yes, but you won't be."

"And why not?" she snorted.

"Because it's going to get cold, and only your friend has a blanket. It's too small to share."

"If you're suggesting what I think you are, you can go jump off a cliff," Jack growled, lying down in the grass, her back turned towards Alvar.

"Suit yourself. Good night, ladies," Alvar said, then rolled over, so his back was facing Jack, and drifted into sleep. Jack moved closer to Everly, hoping to get some warmth just from her friend's body heat, and Everly moved back a bit, so she was touching the other girl. It made her feel so much safer, close to Jack. Jack knew about this world, and she seemed to know how to deal with Alvar in an effective and appropriate way.

Everly let herself drift into sleep; Jack's slow, steady breathing comforting her greatly.

The girl didn't sleep for long. Everly woke up, in the middle of the night, shivering from the cold and from a nightmare, reflecting the horrific scene she had seen earlier. Images of the star dying, crimson covering her body, flashed terrifyingly in Everly's mind, and she gasped, panting for breath as she curled up in a tighter ball, scared, feeling so helpless in this strange place. She forgot, for several minutes, that she wasn't really alone, that there were two people here who at least knew how to use a sword. But even they hadn't been able to do anything earlier.

Her mind raced to the man in the dark outfit that she had seen, stalking towards the fallen star. She wanted to hate him for killing the innocent creature, but somehow, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Surely a man couldn't do something like that just for the fun of it. There must have been a reason, but what? She resolved to ask Jack when the sun came up. Wait! Jack! Jack was here!

Everly turned, comforted immediately by that thought, and started when she saw Jack pressed against Alvar's side, shivering in her sleep. The woman's teeth were nearly chattering together from the cold, and there was no doubt in Everly's mind that Jack had no idea what she was doing, cuddled up against the warrior.

"Jack," Everly whispered, shaking her friend's shoulder. "Jack!"

"Hmm?" Jack mumbled, rolling over to face Everly, her eyes still closed.

"Here," Everly said, wrapping her blanket around her shivering friend.

"Mm…Thanks," Jack mumbled, rolling up in the blanket.

"You're welcome," Everly said, glancing to her other side to see Excalibur's blanket a short distance away.

It was filthy with horse sweat and hair, but it looked warm, and Everly bit down her mannerisms and propriety, reached over, and grabbed the blanket. She pulled it to herself and found, strangely, that she didn't mind the smell of horse, but instead found comfort in it. The blanket was almost large enough to cover her whole body, and it was thick, so Everly hid beneath it, making it into a little cave. Her breathing quickly warmed up the tiny tent, helping her drift back into a peaceful sleep.


	6. Run for Your Money

**Chapter 5: Run for Your Money**

"Alright, up you go," Alvar said, roughly pulling Everly to her feet.

She gasped and stumbled but managed to gain a foothold on the ground without help. Jack was already standing with her arms folded as far away from Alvar as the chain would allow her. The younger girl imagined her companion had been awakened in much the same manner.

Alvar shoved some stale bread at both of them and then caught the horse blanket Everly had used in his hands and proceeded to saddle up Excalibur with Jack's reluctant help.

"Everly, Garris is coming to collect me, just so you know." Jack said it nonchalantly, perhaps in cool mockery of Alvar's own attitude.

The expression on Alvar's face made it clear that this was not something he had intended to tell the younger woman. "Yes, he is. Which is why I need everything to be ready by the time he gets here. In other words, if you two try anything to interfere I will be forced to torture Miss Everly quite to the best of my ability." When Jack glared at him, he shrugged and added "She wouldn't be as much of a struggle to catch and Garris would take from my pay if you weren't in prime condition."

Both women turned a fiery red, Everly from embarrassment at being easily caught and Jack from the meaning behind the warrior's words. Alvar didn't notice. He was busy binding Jack to a tree with the enchanted chain.

"Which reminds me," he said, checking the sky as if that would tell him when the lord would arrive. "Everly, if you would come with me."

He said it politely, but didn't give her much of a choice. He took her arm roughly and pulled her to a stand of dense bushes, then shoved her down so that she was concealed behind them.

"Believe me when I say it is in your best interests to remain hidden here until this business is over," he told her.

"Why?"

"Because Garris is someone you most likely have no interest in associating with." He left her after that. She was given no more information.

However, she did find that she could peek through the bushes – only minimally scratching herself – and observe what was going on where Jack and Alvar were without being seen herself. This comforted her somewhat. At least she would be able to see Jack before she was taken. She didn't know what Alvar planned to do with her after Jack was gone, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know. It was hard to tell what the man's motives were, if he had any.

Suddenly she saw Alvar turn, and face in the opposite direction of where Everly was hiding. A large black horse had muscled its way through the underbrush and was coming towards the warrior and his prize. Atop it sat a figure cloaked in black.

It seemed colder all of a sudden as well. Everly shuddered. This new appearance just seemed to ooze unpleasantness, and she was suddenly glad that she was hidden from him.

"Lady Jacqueline, my dear, it's been so long," Garris – for it was he who rode the black horse – said cordially. "It's so nice to see you. You look as though these years have been kind to you." He swung off his horse, tethering it far from Alvar's stallion (who looked as if he was ready to snarl at the new black horse) and walked towards the bound Jack.

Everly saw a look of such fear cross her friend's face that she felt sickened by the fact that she could do nothing to help her plight. She wondered if she would ever be able to do anything other than cower. Alvar certainly didn't look like he cared what Garris did to Jack.

But just when Garris had just about reached his unwilling servant, the warrior cleared his throat.

"With all due respect, my lord," he said with hardly any respect at all, "You owe a payment on that woman. And until I get the payment I shan't sever the chain that binds her."

Garris rolled his piercing blue eyes set under dark curling hair, but didn't argue. Instead he straightened and, with a sly smile in Jack's direction, followed Alvar. They walked a little ways off in the direction of where Garris had come, taking the horses with them. Alvar was taking no chances with Jack. And there was no way that, if she did run off, she would get his horse.

When they were out of sight, Everly let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She wasn't sure if she should creep to Jack's side or just stay hidden. If she left her hiding place, she knew she would be in danger of being discovered by one of the men coming back. If she stayed, there was absolutely no chance of her being able to help Jack.

As if reading her thoughts, Jack stage-whispered to Everly, "Stay hidden. Garris is entirely evil and you don't want to be mixed up with him. I may not trust Alvar, but given the choice between the two of them, you by far have the better. Besides, I am technically bound as Garris's servant. It's law here that I'm to return to him."

Everly remained silent, her heart breaking. A single tear blurred her vision for a moment, and she bent to wipe it away, careful not to rustle the bushes too much. When she looked up again, her jaw dropped.

A unicorn had appeared next to Jack, and was bending its head towards her. In one fluid motion, the beautiful animal severed the chain that bound Jack. The woman leaped up, rubbing her chafed wrist, and buried her face in the creature's mane in greeting. Then she turned to where Everly was hiding and motioned urgently for her to come over as well.

"Come on, Everly," Jack whispered excitedly when Everly reached her, "We're getting out of here."

She bent and helped Everly swing onto the back of the beautiful white animal, then swung up herself. Everly grasped the silken mane as tightly as she could while Jack held her waist, and the unicorn took off at a full gallop.

_How did you know where to find us?_ Jack asked it so that Everly couldn't hear.

_Her._ It said. _Her blood draws creatures of light and purity and so I came as soon as I sensed you were reasonably free from those men. You could have called at any time_.

_I didn't want you to get mixed up with Alvar_, Jack said grimly. _He's dangerous, almost as much as his master._

_Don't equate dangerous with evil_, the unicorn cautioned. _There are those who are dangerous and evil, and there are those who are dangerous because they get paid to be so._

Jack didn't answer, but instead focused on instructing the unicorn to head further west, towards the palace of the king of Stormhold.

The payment for Jack (which had been settled out of her hearing so that she couldn't know how much she was worth, standard procedure for all such transactions) had been settled but hadn't changed hands yet. Garris insisted on her being in his immediate sight when his money for her went to Alvar. However, when he returned and saw that his prize had vacated, he was most put out.

"You realize that I will not pay you until she is properly caught and turned over to me," he said pointedly to Alvar.

It was all Alvar could do not to groan out loud. How many times did he have to catch this woman? He had guessed that a unicorn had found her, judging by the absence of the enchanted chain, footprints coming from where he had hidden Everly, and hoof prints heading west.

Without answering Lord Garris with anything more than a grunt, Alvar swung up onto his stallion Excalibur and galloped in the direction the unicorn had taken.

"Goodness gracious! I thought Excalibur was fast!" Everly whispered breathlessly as the unicorn broke through the woods and raced towards a beach not far away from the woods.

_I'm going to hide any evidences of our flight. Your warrior friend isn't far behind, _the unicorn explained to Jack.

"Hurry then!" Jack said worriedly. "He's fast, and he's not my friend."

The unicorn made a sound that, to Everly, sounded like a low chuckle, and then surged across the beach and rushed into the water. Everly nearly fell off, but Jack steadied her, struggling to keep both of them atop the magical horse's back.

_You didn't teach her how to ride, _the unicorn quipped.

"I didn't have time!" Jack said, gasping as the horse stumbled once in the sand and then righted itself.

There was a sudden, unexpected blast of thunder from the sky above, and Everly shuddered as lightning flicked across the sky, dancing from one dark cloud to another. Jack bit her lip, watching how fast the storm was coming upon them, knowing that this must have been the work of a sorcerer, or some other evil being. She clung more powerfully to Everly, closing her eyes and praying with her whole heart as the lightning became more terrifying and the ocean began to grow angry, its waves becoming immense and choppy.

Wind whipped through the air, making the women and unicorn's hair beat about wildly, whipping across their faces. The unicorn slowed its pace, lifting its head and sniffing the air for danger. It turned its head suddenly, an ear flicking back as it trotted carefully through the raging water.

_The warrior is near._

"You're a unicorn. Can you outrun him?" Jack asked, trembling at the thought of falling into Garris' hands.

_If I knew exactly where he's coming from. He hunts skillfully, _the unicorn snorted.

The great horse moved on nervously, ears twitching back and forth as it cantered through the waves, taking little notice of how the water about his legs rose higher and higher with nearly every stride. The water reached the horse's underbelly, wetting Jack's feet, and she glanced down to see how high the water really was.

"We need to get out of this!" she cried above the roaring wind and thunder.

"Here he comes!" Everly shouted, and Jack turned her head, looking back, expecting to see Alvar and Excalibur coming from behind. She let out a shriek when the unicorn came to an abrupt halt, nearly sending Everly over its head, and looked forward to see Excalibur charging from ahead, surging straight towards the unicorn, water soaring against the stallion's sides as he galloped through the ferocious waves.

The unicorn reared, sending Everly falling halfway off his side. Jack shouted angrily and grabbed Everly, pulling her back up, but this time, managing to swing the smaller girl up behind her. Jack scooted up on the horse's back, grabbed hold of the mane, and turned the unicorn's head to face the other direction.

"Come on!" she urged. "Everly, hold on back there!"

"Is it really worth all this?" Everly hissed, her teeth chattering together as the unicorn started a full gallop away from Excalibur. "Maybe we should just…give up!"

"Remind me to tell you more about Garris later!" Jack called back. "Then you'll understand!"

Waves beat against the unicorn, sending the magnificent beast struggling from one side to the other, rocking to stay on its feet.

"Do you think I should get off and fight?" Jack called to the horse, glancing over her shoulder to see Excalibur gaining on them.

_With your bare hands? _The unicorn questioned. _That rider is well versed in the ways of a sword and fists. You are no match for that._

"What do you suggest?"

The unicorn may have started to say something more, but Jack never heard it, for suddenly, a huge wave, larger than any of the others, rushed full force against the horse, and with a frightened whinny, the unicorn and his charges fell to the side. The horse landed on its side, its body no longer touching sand as it was dragged out into the ocean. His strong legs shoved at the water, trying to get the beast upright, and his flailing legs struck mercilessly at the waves, nearly pounding against Everly as Jack pulled her off the flailing animal.

"Stay away from those feet!" Jack ordered, dragging Everly out more to sea.

"Jack, I can't swim!" Everly gasped, water going down her throat as the salt water lashed against her.

Jack shouted in aggravation as the current continued to drag them out to the open ocean. She looked to the side to see the unicorn clambering out of the water, neighing with frustration. The horse stopped, once on the sand, and reared high, shaking his head in aggravation as he realized he couldn't reach his riders.

Jack was a strong swimmer, but she gagged as water flowed down her throat. She was struck with the ironic realization that this could be a storm caused, somehow, by Garris, and she knew how to stop it. Just surrender, and the storm would fade away. But no, she couldn't surrender. She growled angrily when she heard another horse charge into the water. She knew Excalibur wouldn't swim out this far, but for money, Alvar would.

"Jack!" Everly cried, going under the water.

Jack grabbed her under her arms and struggled to hold her friend's head above water. The woman turned her head desperately to see another human swimming strongly towards them. Alvar. He would know how to swim well. She was almost relieved to see him as another harsh wave dragged her and Everly under the water. Another wave tossed them up to the surface, filling their noses and eyes with water. Everly was choking on the salt, truly struggling just to breathe, and Jack was debating whether or not to fight Alvar as he came closer.

Before she quite knew what she wanted to do, Alvar was there, treading water next to them, his dark eyes burning into the older woman.

"Don't fight me, Jacqueline! Now isn't the time," he ordered, fighting the waves.

"I won't just give in to you!"

"What about the girl?" Alvar frowned, watching the women go under again and then bob back up to the surface.

"I've got her!" Jack sputtered as she resurfaced.

"You don't have me convinced," Alvar snorted, moving closer to her.

Jack shot him a warning look as he drew closer, but he ignored her look and grabbed hold of the now-unconscious Everly. He pulled her easily away from Jack, who let out a hiss of disapproval, and then positioned Everly so that he was holding her piggyback style on his back, struggling to keep swimming with her resting against him.

"Are you going to help her, or give in to your fear and cower?" Alvar asked coolly. "It's up to you, but if you don't help, I may be forced to let this one go and let the sea claim her."

"No!" Jack cried, swimming to his side. "What do I need to do?" she asked quietly.

"Hold her on me."

Jack reached up and held Everly against Alvar's back, daring to give him a good kick in the leg as she did so. He shot her a look that assured her of revenge, and then shifted Everly against his back. Water filled his mouth and nostrils, but he fought the tide, fought the rage of the waves, and turned around, hoping to get back to shore.

The beach was now miles away.

"Great!" Alvar sputtered angrily. "Not only are you foolish, but you're completely incapable of a good escape. Are you pleased with where you dragged us? I certainly hope so."

Jack didn't hear him, for she was suddenly under the water, being dragged beneath him, almost as though something was pulling her by the leg. She wasn't given a chance to breathe, but was held under the water, and in an act of total desperation, she did the only thing she could think of. She knew it was stupid, knew it wasn't wise, but she did it any way.

There was only one truly strong swimmer in this storm, and it was Alvar. He had a strength that was nearly indestructible, and so, knowing this, Jack reached up, grabbed the remnant of the chain around her wrist that the unicorn had left, and fumbled to wrap it around Alvar's wrist.

He knew what she was doing and let her. It would make the rest of his job easier later. Now she'd be permanently attached to him until he released her. And he had no intentions of doing that until they were with Garris again.

Jack's head came up, and she gagged, grabbing hold of Alvar's shoulder. He nearly rolled his eyes as the waves pushed her up against him so that she was holding onto his shoulder with both hands. He wanted to make some sort of snide remark, but he didn't. Instead, he glanced up as a net of some sort fell over him, Everly, and Jack, and then he growled in dismay as he and his captives were hoisted out of the water. He and Jack collided, hard, against each other in the net, Everly still connected to his back, protecting her from the collision.

The three were tossed about wildly in the net, the two conscious people groaning in pain as limbs collided and bones nearly crashed against each other. Jack let out a cry of surprise as she and the other two humans in the net were hoisted high into the air and then swung over a great ship. They were swung twice before the net dropped, and Alvar, Jack, and Everly fell hard to the wooden deck of a pirate ship.


	7. Vicious Pirates?

**Chapter Six: Vicious Pirates?**

"It seems we've fished in a few prisoners, mates!" A rough voice declared.

Everly blinked several times and sat up to find herself trapped in some sort of net on what appeared to be the deck of a ship. She was confused for a few seconds, as she looked up at the speaker, a gruff-looking man with gray hair, who was tall and gazing down at her with a rough expression on his face.

"Take the net off our fishes, dogs," the man, evidently the captain of the ship, spoke.

Everly lowered her head as the net was pulled off of her, and she caught sight of Jack and Alvar, not too far away from her, scrambling to get to their feet. They were sprawled out on the deck, once again connected by the magical rope. Alvar stood up quickly, wrenching Jack up along with him and making her groan as the chain slid across her wrist.

"Sir Alvar again! Found yourself another set of prisoners, did you?" the captain asked, watching as Alvar stood to his full height and pulled off the damp shreds left of his tattered shirt.

"Yes indeed, Cpt. Shakespeare, though only one woman is my prisoner. May I introduce to you Lady Jacqueline, betrothed to Lord Garris of Nighthelm, and the lady Everly. Ladies, Cpt. Shakespeare. Introductions made," Alvar said casually.

"What brings you so far out to sea? Hoping to hitch a ride? Well, you shan't receive passage from us," Cpt. Shakespeare grumbled, folding his arms across his chest. "Men, what say you we do with these weaklings? Fifty lashings each?"

"You're pirates!" Everly exclaimed, getting to her feet and running to Jack. She took the older woman's arm and gazed, with wide eyes, at the captain. "What have we done?"

"Who are you? Some type of diplomat?" Shakespeare's first mate asked, rolling his eyes.

"Everly, from the United States," Everly said bravely. "We have done nothing to you. If you'd just bring us back to shore, we'll be on our way."

"Really?" the captain asked, an eyebrow arched. "I say a good flogging for this large-mouthed young lady."

"No, Cap'n! I got it! I got it, Cap'n!" an excited, somewhat slow pirate exclaimed.

"And what would that be?" Shakespeare smirked.

"We haven't made anyone walk the plank yet!"

"Splendid idea! Perfectly marvelous!" Cpt. Shakespeare clapped his hands. "I say we throw in the two lovers over there."

"Lovers?" Jack shouted, glaring at Alvar. "Look, just because we're chained together…"

"Shut up," Shakespeare said, rolling his eyes. "The two of them, then. Shall we bind them more, or is the chain so kindly there already enough for them?"

"More ropes!" the pirates shouted, getting a long coil of rope and rushing towards Alvar and Jack.

Alvar was no longer armed, and so had nothing to fight back with. He remained silent as the pirates spun Jack so that her back was pressing hard against his. Jack squealed and cried in protest, but they ignored her pleas and tied the two together, back to back.

"No!" Everly screamed, rushing towards the couple as they were shoved to an opening in the ship's railing. "No!"

"Stay back, lass!" a pirate shouted, grabbing her and holding her back. "You'll ruin all the fun!"

"You can't kill them! Jack!" Everly cried.

"Everly!" Jack shouted back, still struggling as she was pushed farther away from her friend.

"On the plank, you two," Cpt. Shakespeare said, holding a sword against Alvar's throat.

Alvar stepped up onto the wooden plank, pulling Jack up with him.

"You can't let them do this! Everly will be left all by herself!" Jack shouted to him.

"Take my hand, and I swear, I'll drown you myself," Alvar snorted.

"Don't do this! I have a large sum of money at my home! Let us go, and I'll give you what I can!" Jack tried to bargain.

"We don't want no bloomin' money," the first mate said, shaking his head. "We need entertainment."

"Such a form of entertainment," Alvar said coolly and then hissed in pain as Jack's fingernails scratched against his skin in another attempt of hers to escape.

"Off you go," Cpt. Shakespeare said jovially, holding back a panicking Everly.

Alvar pulled Jack to the edge of the plank, giving her a chance to look down. They were about thirty feet above the ocean, not too terribly far, and if Jack were willing to cooperate with him, for once, they'd both be able to swim right back up to the surface. Jack wasn't thinking about their survival, at the moment. She was entirely concerned about Everly. The girl couldn't be left alone to the pirates! They had such a terrible reputation! There had to be a way to get back and save her!

"Off!" the captain's voice shouted, and Jack screamed as she and Alvar both fell off the plank towards the water. She didn't hear Everly screaming nonstop, going into hysterics, for her ears were suddenly filled with seawater. She could feel Alvar squirming against her, swimming, not to the surface just yet, but underneath the great ship to the other side. He was the stronger out of the two of them, and not being given a choice, Jack swam beneath the ship with him.

Only then did Alvar surface, pulling Jack up for air, and the two were astounded to find a rope ladder waiting for them, and the pirates shouting, "Grab hold!"

It was more astonishing for Everly, who watched as Jack and Alvar fell off the plank. She had been immediately immersed in cold terror, but to her absolute surprise, the pirates had suddenly run over to the other side of the ship, threw over a rope ladder, and were now shouting to Alvar and Jack to grab hold.

It seemed all they had wanted to do was say they had made someone walk the plank, not exactly killed them.

"I think," Cpt. Shakespeare said roughly, as Jack and Alvar were pulled aboard, "that you two are punishment to each other, therefore appeasing all of my arguments against you. Sir Alvar, you may break that cord about your hands."

"Your men have already taken care of the ropes," Alvar sneered, shrugging off the last of the ropes, his hair plastered to his forehead and neck.

"I'm referring to the chain binding you together."

"I'm not cutting that," Alvar said, shaking his head. "She's escaped Garris far too many times for that. She's staying with me at all times."

"Alvar, we are about to take to the skies," Shakespeare said coldly. "I suggest you release her at this moment. There is no where for her to go, and she wouldn't leave her friend behind."

Alvar growled and then cut the chain. He watched, in disgust, as Jack flew to Everly and threw her arms around the girl, who returned the affection. The women held each other close, giving their hearts a chance to return to their normal heart rates.

"Mates, I want you to bring our prisoners into my cabin," Shakespeare said. "There you will leave them. Understand?"

"Aye," the first mate nodded. "What about the Lady Jacqueline? She seems to be bleeding at the shoulder. No doubt caused by the ropes."

"Let her warrior take care of that," Shakespeare said. "Bring them down."

Jack and Everly were pulled apart only long enough to be dragged into the captain's cabin, where they were immediately placed in comfortable furniture around a small table. They were able to take a good look at the cabin, before the captain himself reappeared. The place was expensively furnished and very comfortable, with large pieces of furniture, a great mahogany desk, a beautiful piano pressed against one wall, and a beautiful view of the darkened ocean.

"Well my dears it is lovely to see – and meet –" Shakespeare added with a nod to Everly as he came to sit across from her, with Jack and Alvar on either side of him, "You all. I should apologize for the show out there. You see, I have this reputation as one of the fiercest pirates with the fiercest crews stalking Stormhold's skies and waters, and it must be upheld. The crew of course helps me in any way they can of course."

"But why pretend?" Everly asked. She had immediately warmed to the now-friendly sailor, and so was the most eager to speak with him. Besides, Jack and Alvar seemed just content to finally be separated from each other.

"My lady," Shakespeare addressed the younger woman, his eyes sparkling, "I have no heart for killing. Messy business, a lot of blood to clean up and paperwork to file afterward. But it is quite possible to frighten people into giving you a fearsome reputation without killing anyone. Since we pulled that stunt out there, I can now say truthfully that I've had someone walk the plank."

Everly giggled. She wondered briefly if she was losing her mind from all the stress it had endured over the past few days, but she really couldn't help herself. Captain Shakespeare was a jovial man and his attitude was catching. Something inside her told her that while she was up in the air on this ship, she was finally safe.

"Alright so what payment do you want?" Alvar spoke for the first time. His arms were crossed and he was looking pointedly at Jack, a bored expression on his face.

"Payment?" Shakespeare raised his eyebrows.

"For taking us to the village outside Nighthelm. It's accessible by water and there's a market town close by."

Everly gathered that Nighthelm must have been Garris's fortress from the way that Jack shuddered. She didn't dare ask though; ever since he had slapped her she had been terrified of Alvar.

Shakespeare sighed. "Yes it is rather unfortunate that we must return Lady Jacqueline to that beastly Lord Garris," he said, "But laws must be followed."

"But you're pirates!" Jack cried, jumping out of her seat with the vehemence of her declaration.

The captain nodded. "Indeed we are. But there are a few close ties that we keep to the king that keep us out of his line of sight, and keeping the most basic of the laws is one of them. Now don't you think ill of King Tristan, I'm sure the law was in place before he ascended to the throne. But yes, all servants must be replaced to their masters if found running off. Speaking of whom, my dear Everly you do look so much like your father. Can't you see it, Alvar? Tristan's eyes and hair, but Yvaine's beautiful features."

"Indeed." The warrior seemed less than pleased about being addressed by the captain.

"You know my parents?" Everly asked eagerly. So here was another person connected to her past. It seemed they were all over the place here in Stormhold, but no one would talk to her about them!

"I think I prefer deep and emotional conversations held over dinner," Shakespeare said suddenly, his eyes sparkling with the promise that he would tell Everly more of her heritage later. "But first we are in need of a wardrobe change on the part of the ladies."

"No really –"Jack started to protest but was cut off.

"Mademoiselle, you are wearing men's clothes." Was it Jack's imagination or did he sniff in disdain? "And they are soaking wet, as are Everly's. Surely there is no reason for you to catch cold."

"Yes I'm sure Garris would be quite displeased if I returned you to him sick," Alvar said with a yawn.

"You. Out." Shakespeare commanded Alvar, moving his hands as if shooing him out the door. "You will be sleeping in the crew's cabin."

When the warrior was gone, Captain Shakespeare showed the women to an immense closet in his cabin. It was lined from wall to wall and floor to ceiling with elegant clothing, male and female. Jack smiled as Everly's face lit up, like a child's at Christmas. The older woman had to admit; it would be good to get back into a dress again. She did miss the feeling of being elegant and the skirts swishing about her ankles.

At Shakespeare's invitation, the girls rushed into the closet and began looking through the dresses. There were garments of all colors, shapes and sizes. Everly soon pulled out a golden dress with sparkling trimming. She held it up to herself, looking for the opinion of Jack and Shakespeare.

The captain was the first to offer his opinion. "Beautiful dress my dear, too bad it was too small for me. Still, it's not your color. You should try something of a darker shade to match your hair, and your skin is far too pale for yellow."

Both girls were stunned to silence, Everly with her mouth slightly open. Both of them had caught the _too small for me_ and had very similar mental images of the jolly captain in front of them dancing around in women's clothing. Remembering her manners first, Everly turned slowly and replaced the dress and began searching anew, though not quite as enthusiastically. Jack resolved not to try on any dress until she had smelled it and made sure it didn't smell like a certain captain.

When both found dresses to their liking, the captain closed the wardrobe and left them to change in privacy. He was going to deliver clothes to Alvar.

Everly had chosen a plain dress in a vibrant red with wisps of pink gauze forming open sleeves and layers of the gauze forming the skirt. It clung tightly to her torso and worked well with her corset, though she had to loosen the undergarment considerably. Not that she complained.

Jack chose a dress of green. Dark green velvet clung to the front of her bosom and formed the front panel of the skirt. Otherwise, the dress was a lighter shade of green silk brocade, embroidered with gold leaves and vines twisting in an intricate pattern. It was a beautiful dress and she felt beautiful in it. It had been a long time since she had worn anything so fine.

The captain of the ship applauded his approval when the women stepped out of the closet fully dressed. He commented on Everly's smile, and she blushed and explained that she was feeling so much better back in women's clothing and on the ship.

"Well I have much to teach you while you are here," he said, and winked. "Including how to defend yourself."

Everly blushed deeper. She was saved from having to reply because at that moment Alvar stepped back into the room. He was dressed in soft leather pants, boots, and had tied his shoulder length, dark hair back into a braid. Once again he was shirtless.

"Sir, you forgot to give me a shirt," the warrior said, looking at Shakespeare who went to retrieve one. Then Alvar's eyes fell on the women.

He was immediately staggered by Jack's appearance. Up till now, he had been able to avoid any emotion in regard to her because in her rags and men's clothes it was easier to imagine her as just property. Now that she was cleaned up, however…well she looked like the Lady she was. He was glad that no one had spoken to him, for he wouldn't have been able to reply. For the first time in his life, he was quite speechless.

It was the captain that broke the silence. He and Everly had been watching Alvar's and Jack's reddening faces with equal measures of surprise, but now he cleared his throat significantly. Jack jumped, while Alvar merely looked away.

Captain Shakespeare had brought out a heavy black cotton shirt with wide sleeves. It opened in the front, but could be fastened with two bone beads and corresponding loops. It was also equipped with a hood. Alvar pulled it on but left the fasteners open. It was summer, after all, and too stuffy for him in the cabin.

Suddenly Jack cried out in surprise. Everly rushed to her side, only to look away, green-faced.

"I pulled the stitches loose," Jack hissed, cradling her left arm. "Must have been putting on the dress. I didn't notice until now, when I felt the blood dripping down my arm."

Shakespeare excused himself to put together a midday meal for his guests, leaving the three younger people to themselves.

Alvar sighed. "Let me sew it up again," he said, fully himself again. "Can't have you bleeding to death."

"I'm sure you wouldn't want anything taken from your pay," Jack snapped, but she let him tend to her cut, hissing when he made the first puncture with the needle.

"To distract yourself, why don't you tell Lady Everly about you Lord Garris," Alvar suggested, pulling closed the first stitch. "I'm sure she hates being in the dark."

Jack looked to Everly. The younger woman looked interested, though was trying to avoid the sight of her friend's wound.

"Alright," Jack sighed. "Where do I start?"

"From the beginning," Alvar put in.

She glared at him. He smirked.

"That was a rhetorical question," she said, turning to Everly. She didn't want to look at Alvar. "Anyways, Garris became friends with my brother Bendel about…five years ago?" This time she had to look at Alvar for confirmation. The warrior nodded. "Yes, five years ago. Part of the reason is he wanted me as his wife. At first, Bendel refused, but…" Tears came to her eyes now, "I made him angry, and in his rage he sold me to Garris. As a servant, not even a wife. Garris would want to do whatever he desired with me, but I refused his company, which further fueled his longing for me. I'm not entirely sure why."

"He loves your innocence," Alvar put in, pulling another stitch and causing her to grit her teeth against the pain. "Every other woman he occupies himself with is already as filthy as himself. If they have his children or bore him, he has no problem doing away with them. But you? He wants to dirty you himself."

"How would you know?" Jack demanded, jerking her arm from him now that it was stitched up again. "You're only a mercenary."

"And in my line of work, word gets around," he said, rising coolly. Then he looked at Everly. "This is the sort of man she's dragging you to," he told the young woman, "Only pray that we can figure out something to stop him from falling for you too." With that, he shouldered his pack and headed for the door, only to have it opened by the first mate to tell them that the midday meal was ready.


	8. Of Murderers and Princesses

**Chapter Seven: Of Murderers and Princesses**

Angry blue eyes didn't even flinch as a soaring ball of flame crashed into the earth below, burning through trees and rock to make a great crater in the center of the earth. Another star had fallen before the one who summoned it, completely unaware of what had happened. This one was a young woman, as many of them were, and she pushed several dark strands of hair out of her face, peering about her with inquisitive, innocent dark eyes. She didn't see the mounted soldiers surrounding her, closing in quietly and deadly.

"Greetings to you, Lord Bendel. I offer my gratitude for your invitation to join you this evening," a deep, smooth voice spoke.

"Evening, Garris," Bendel nodded, turning to his friend, curly blonde hair covering one eye. "I'm glad you can join us."

"This will be your fiftieth kill, won't it?" Garris asked, dark eyes flashing to the woman struggling to her feet. "Such a pity to waste so delectable catches."

"I don't entirely waste them," Bendel shrugged. "I let my men have at them first."

"Really?" Garris asked, an eyebrow arched.

"Observe," Bendel said coldly, gesturing to one of his men.

Instantly, the star found herself surrounded by men atop horses. They didn't stay atop the horses for long, much to her dismay, but instead dismounted and proceeded to assault her in every imaginable way the corrupt men could come up with.

"Really now, Bendel," Garris said, turning to ignore the woman and look at his comrade. "Why so bitter to so entirely destroy a being?"

"Speaking of which, how is my sister?" Bendel asked, eyes glittering maliciously as he looked at Garris.

"She has now escaped me twice. I haven't had a chance to show her how pleasant things would be, would she just submit."

"She has been fleeing from you?" Bendel asked, an uncommon gentle light appearing in his eyes.

"Indeed. She considers me to be cruel."

"Surely you aren't," Bendel's voice, now different, no longer harsh, implored.

"Bendel, are you concerned?" Garris chuckled, and in an instant, Bendel's gentleness changed, due to the curse, back into cold indifference.

"I ask simply to ensure that you are indeed treating her in a foul manner. After intruding in my affairs, she no longer has reason to be treated tenderly. Do what you will with her. I have something that may help."

"Have you?" Garris asked, smirking at his companion's awkward character changes.

"Yes," Bendel nodded, pulling out a golden chain. He handed it to Garris and let him touch the large, beautiful emerald that dangled from the chain. "Around that emerald, you'll notice golden wiring, holding it more in place," Bendel pointed out.

"I see it," Garris nodded, closing his gloved hand around the jewel.

"That wiring has the ability to make its wearer almost completely invalid."

"Senseless?" Garris asked.

"The wearer will remain conscious, but will not be able to move, aside from turning their head. It has quite the nice spell on it. Once that wire is taken off the wearer's neck, they'll be able to move again. Use that to catch my sister."

"Very clever, my friend," Garris smiled with satisfaction. "This should keep her in place for a little while. Thank you."

"Whom have you sent after her this time?" Bendel asked, turning his eyes back to the star, who was now a sobbing mess on the ground.

"Alvar."

"You've sent the wrong man," Bendel hissed. "He has too tender a heart."

"I think not," Garris said easily. "I find him to be nearly heartless."

"He's heartless when it comes to anything concerning money, but it will simply take the pleas of a beautiful woman to get him to change his mind about something."

"He won't fail me," Garris said easily. "Your star is about done for."

"So I see," Bendel nodded, and rode his stallion down to the star, Garris riding alongside him. Bendel drew his sword and brought it to bear on the fallen star, swiftly ending her short life on the earth. He watched as his fiftieth victim went limp, but this time, a sharp pain ached through him, and his hand went to his heart.

_"No Bendel! Don't do this! Please! No!"_

Jacqueline's voice came to him, her cries from the last time he had seen her, and again, the curse wavered, giving Bendel a moment of sanity. Why was he doing this? Surely his parents couldn't really have wanted him to kill off so many innocent beings!

"It's all about revenge, my dear Bendel. All about revenge," Garris spoke to him. "You're doing it to avenge the deaths of your parents."

"I am," Bendel said slowly, his defense against the spell again beginning to fall away.

"They would want this for you. Their lives were senselessly taken. May as well take the lives of their murderers."

"They murdered them in cold blood," Bendel growled, baring his teeth. "Every star deserves such a death, for my father and mother."

"And Jacqueline will be in good hands. I assure you," Garris added, putting a hand on Bendel's shoulder. "She belongs to me now, and I'll treat her with all the respect she deserves."

"Which is none," Bendel said flatly, almost in a robotic tone.

About the same time that Bendel and Garris's dastardly conversation was proceeding, Captain Shakespeare's ship was up in the air and sailing through a clear sky. Jack and Everly almost wished they could stay on deck for their supper, but the captain had insisted they and Alvar dine with him. So they made their way into a room where there had been set up a table with places for four. The meal looked to include pasta and freshly baked rolls. Immediately the women's mouths were watering. They had lived on nothing but Alvar's travel rations for the past few days and the meal smelled and looked heavenly.

Gratefully, they sat down when the captain did. He smiled and let the three travelers eat in silence for a while, understanding their plight. Everly was eating as fast as she could while still being polite, while Jack did the same, both taking large sips from their cups of sweet cider. Even Alvar was scarfing his meal.

When they slowed down, Shakespeare spoke.

"My dear ones, now I have a promise to fulfill," he said, causing them all to look at him. "I told Lady Everly this morning that I would reveal to her the identity which has been hidden from her for so long. Before I say anything, however, I hope my lady understands that Lady Jacqueline would have told you earlier had she been as sure as Alvar and I. So hold nothing against your friend."

It had taken a moment for Everly to realize that when he said "my lady" he was talking about her. When she did, she shook herself, and nodded. She understood why Jack hadn't told her.

"Alright then," Captain Shakespeare said, folding his hands together for dramatic effect. "My lady Everly, you are in fact, a princess."

"Really?" Everly said doubtfully. She didn't doubt that Shakespeare knew her parents, but it seemed unlikely that the dream of every young girl had come true for _her_ when she barely knew manners!

"Yes indeed. You father, His Majesty Tristan, and mother, Queen Yvaine, rule Stormhold with a good and gentle hand. They still live and know of your existence, though maybe they do not know you are in their kingdom."

"He speaks the truth," Alvar said.

Both women turned to Alvar, dumbfounded.

"What did you have to do with it?" Jack demanded.

The warrior looked to Captain Shakespeare, who nodded and motioned for him to continue.

"Fine. It was I who carried Everly out of our world and placed her at the doorstep of the king's choosing."

Everly stared at the warrior. He was speaking as if he was much older than he looked.

He saw her expression, and shrugged. "I was seventeen at the time, barely a man. Anyways, Tristan knew he could trust me to get a job done honestly more than any of his courtiers or messengers. Besides, no one a part of court would have been able to keep the secret of your existence. You see, when Tristan first brought Yvaine to the palace after they defeated the three witches who ruled the Sisterhood, there was a lot of paperwork and counselors and bishops they had to go through before they could be officially married and her officially take the throne. But when the coronation and wedding finally took place – which Shakespeare attended – Yvaine was already a few months pregnant. With you."

"Four months," Shakespeare confirmed. "From when they were on my ship."

Alvar nodded. "At any rate, a baby being born only five months into a marriage would have caused a huge scandal and many of the courtiers – who already distrusted Tristan and his mother because of his own shady heritage – would have lost their faith in the throne and especially the queen. So he covered it up. Yvaine fell tragically ill for a few months and he would admit no one in to see her. Then all of a sudden she appeared back in court, a bit shaky but none the worse for wear because of her illness. The very night you were born I took you across the wall and to the house of your caretakers that Tristan picked out. Yes, I was at one time paid to protect you and take care of you for as long as it took to get you safe."

Needless to say, Everly was quite taken aback by this story. She was sure that only few women in their lifetimes were informed that their entire existence had been covered up, and even fewer were informed that their parents were in fact the rulers of whole kingdoms. Still she knew that Alvar wasn't one prone to lies and his story and Shakespeare's had fit together. Now that she knew the warrior had been in her life at the beginning, she looked at him with new eyes. She wasn't sure how she felt about knowing that he had taken care of her – diapers and everything – for the first few days of her existence. It was a strange feeling and she wasn't sure that she liked it.

However, she was saved from comment on the story by the first mate. He burst into the room quite abruptly, causing all heads to turn in his direction.

"Captain!" he cried, "Another star just fell!"

Captain Shakespeare's expression clouded. "I see," he said in a low voice. "Thank you for telling me."

The first mate nodded, and left. The captain had a dark look on his face and he was staring at the table. Alvar eyed Jack carefully. She had brought her hands to clench the napkin in her lap tightly and she was biting her bottom lip, trying not to cry.

"How is your brother?" Shakespeare asked her, breaking the heavy silence.

"It's not his fault!" Jack burst out, causing Everly to jump. The younger woman had never heard her raise her voice like this. "He's under a curse! He says he does it all for our mother and father but it's not! That witch came and put a spell on him and now…now…" Her voice was trembling, and tears rolled down her cheeks. Unable to hold her emotions in, she rose from the table abruptly and left the room, closing the door behind her loudly but without slamming it.

"What was that?" Everly cried, rising to follow her friend.

"Leave her," Alvar told her. "Sit down. She needs time alone and we should explain something else to you. It has to do with your heritage as well as her brother."

Everly sat.

"What you may not know, Lady Everly, is that here in our world stars are actual people," Alvar said, "Beautiful women. Shut your mouth please, I'm not done explaining. Yes, in your world when stars fall to earth they are nothing more that burning metallic rock. In your world, when a star falls, they die. Here, however, they are alive when they fall. They are people who – when they are happy – appear to have a light about them."

"Your mother, Yvaine, is such a being," Shakespeare said. "You are the first of your kind. Because before her, no stars had found love on earth enough to have children. Of course, you have siblings now; all brothers, I'm told, who also are of star blood. But since they are all male they don't have the characteristics of the stars as you do."

"But I don't glow!" Everly protested.

"True enough," Alvar said, "But your eyes sparkle in ways that no human's do. And I'm not saying that in a poetic sense; it's a fact that anyone would notice should they run into you. It lessens during the day but at night it is as bright as your relatives in the sky. Also, I see you tossing and turning all night. You're a light sleeper because half of you is yearning to be in the sky shining."

"What does this have to do with Jack's brother?" the young woman asked, uncomfortable being the conversation topic.

"Lord Bendel, the brother of Lady Jacqueline, has made it his goal of the past few years to eliminate every star from the sky," the captain said to her. "Already the sky is darker than it has been for years. And if he finds you, you'll be in danger. You see, there is a prophecy concerning those of star blood. It is said that one of them will be able to call down the stars in both worlds so that they will survive in your world and be able to better defend themselves in ours."

Everly was silent. It didn't seem to her that Jack would have a brother who was so evil. Still, she had said that he was under a curse. Her thoughts strayed back to the day when she had been traveling with Alvar and Jack and they had seen Bendel in the very act of killing one of her relatives. Had it only been yesterday? It had. She remembered with a sick feeling how she had felt connected to the beautiful woman in the crater.

This time when she stood, Alvar didn't stop her.

"I'm feeling tired," she said. "I wish to retire."

"Of course, my dear," Captain Shakespeare said.

It unnerved Everly how he and Alvar had stood when she had, as if she were – well, royalty. She hoped no one else treated her like it for a while.

"You and Lady Jacqueline will of course be sleeping in my cabin," Shakespeare said. "I will set up a resting place for myself behind the helm under the stars. Don't worry about me. Alvar shall sleep with the crew in their cabin."

"Thank you," Everly nodded as Shakespeare gestured to Alvar and the men left the room.

Jack joined Everly in the captain's cabin a short while later and quickly changed back into a pair of breeches and a pirate shirt for her pajamas. The older woman didn't say anything, but slid into the immense bed next to Everly and then rolled onto her side. Everly didn't speak; giving Jack the quiet she believed the woman needed. It took her a little while to get to sleep, for every now and then Jack would let out a little sniff, concerning Everly and tempting her to say something. When Everly did fall asleep, she slept deeper and more peacefully than she had in a very long time.

Morning came quickly, and Everly awoke to find Jack already up and moving about the cabin, pulling open the curtains and then pulling on her new dress. There were still tearstains on Jack's face, but she grabbed a pitcher of water, poured it into a bowl, and hurriedly wiped her face with a rag she dipped into the water.

"You're awake," she smiled softly at Everly. "We have quite a bit of activity going to take place today."

"Oh?" Everly asked, sliding out of bed and pulling on her new dress.

"You're to learn a bit more about self-defense. I'm not sure what else Shakespeare has in store," Jack nodded, pulling her long hair back with a strip of leather. "I'm sure he'll have Alvar teach you about sword fighting."

"Why not you?" Everly frowned at the thought of any physical contact with Alvar.

"I have stitches in my arm at the moment," Jack said, "and if the good captain knows what's best, he won't give me a sword. I'd go straight at Alvar with it."

"That's so strange that Alvar is so…"

"Old?" Jack laughed. "Just makes everything more disgusting, doesn't it?"

There was a knock on the door, and Jack moved over to it and opened it.

"And speaking of disgusting," she sighed as Alvar stepped in.

"Ah, you're still here," Alvar said, sitting at the large table in the center of the room. "I thought you may have jumped overboard in the middle of the night in another escape attempt."

"Arguing so early in the morning?" Cpt. Shakespeare asked, stepping into the room with a cook behind him. "Let's not ruin our appetites before we even taste any of this delicious food. Please, Lady Everly, have a seat."

The old gentleman pulled out a chair for Everly and waited for her to sit before he pushed her in.

"Sir Alvar, perhaps you should help Lady Jacqueline."

Alvar made a move to stand, but Jack waved him away.

"No thank you," she said. "You'd just pull the chair out from under me."

She sat at the table and then watched as the captain sat down.

"I do believe you intended to show our little princess how to swordfight today, did you not?" Alvar asked as they began eating.

"I did," Shakespeare nodded. "I had hoped you might be willing to assist her, Alvar."

"Gladly."

"Can Jack not show me?" Everly asked uncomfortably.

"Lady Jacqueline is not to be trusted with a sword," Alvar said simply.

"We don't want her opening up those stitches again," Shakespeare said, shaking his head. "Alvar and I shall assist you in learning. You needn't learn much, just how to defend yourself."

"Very well," Everly sighed.

"Lady Jacqueline shall be occupying herself with some other learning possibilities," Shakespeare smiled.

When the meal was finished, Shakespeare led Alvar and the women onto the deck and into beautiful, sunny weather. He then handed Everly a sword and chuckled when she dropped it because of the weight.

"Heavy, no?" Shakespeare grinned.

"How can I fight with it if I can't hold it?" Everly asked.

"Take it like so," Alvar sighed, grabbing another sword and holding it firmly in two hands. "If you become more skilled, you'll be able to hold it with just one hand."

"Alvar, help her assume a good fighting stance," Shakespeare instructed. "Lady Jacqueline, I have a request for you."

"Yes?" Jack asked, sitting on the deck when he gestured for her to do so.

"I'd like you to put a few entries in the ship's log for me, if you will. I will tell you what I want written as Alvar and Everly attempt some sword fighting," Shakespeare said, sitting next to her with a leather bound book, inkwell, and quill.

"I can do that," Jack nodded, taking the book and opening it.

She began recording what Shakespeare told her to write, watching Alvar and Everly as she did so.

Alvar helped Everly at least five times, just placing the sword in her hands and wrapping her small hands around the hilt. When the man thought she was comfortable enough holding the sword, he instructed her to swing the sword, moving with it. Everly managed to swing it and let out a cry of delight when she didn't drop the sword.

"Alvar! Look! I didn't drop it!"

"Enthralling," Alvar said nonchalantly. "Now try it again."

He and Everly began to move about the deck, just swinging their swords, getting a good feel for the weapons. Everly's arms began hurting five minutes into the exercise, and Alvar let her rest just long enough to catch her breath. He then had her up and moving again, instructing her and actually encouraging her. Maybe it was because he had cared for her when she was a child, or maybe he just had natural fatherly instincts, but he treated her with respect and a great deal of patience. Never once did he strike out at her or raise his voice. He spoke to her in a low, tutorial voice, adding little bits of encouragement along the way.

Everly found she enjoyed his teaching, and when he touched her, to help her hold her sword or to show her some new move, she realized that she wasn't dismayed. He never treated her with any sort of disrespect, and only touched her when he had to. She found, to her amusement, that he and Jack had a similar way of teaching, quietly, firmly, and with a parental touch. She kept looking over to Jack to see what the older woman thought of her progress, but Jack was never looking. She was completely engrossed with her writing, though, when Everly wasn't looking, Jack would gaze up and make sure Alvar wasn't hurting his charge. Several times she caught Alvar's eye, looking away as soon as that happened.

Shakespeare watched all this with quiet musing. He was impressed with how fast Everly picked up the sword fighting, and he enjoyed watching Jack write with her neat, elegant handwriting. He was more amused with how Jack was ashamed to be caught looking in Alvar's direction, and he found it entertaining that Alvar completely refused to look at her. The man was focused entirely on Everly, as though he had found some long lost child and considered it his duty to treat her with all the patience of a saint.

When an hour had passed, the captain called for Alvar to give Everly a break in training, and he instructed Jack to cease her writing, but the woman was so in depth writing that she asked permission to keep going. It seemed to please her, being allowed to write, and the captain permitted her to keep going. He brought Everly into the captain's cabin with Alvar and showed her a great canvas, completely empty, just waiting to be painted.

The young woman was excited and squealed with delight when the captain showed her a whole display of paints and instructed her to paint a picture to put on the wall in the captain's cabin for decoration. Everly immediately set to work, forgetting all about time as Shakespeare took Alvar back up to the deck and set him to work mending nets.

Everly loved to paint, and Shakespeare had many different colors and paints for her to choose from. She decided to paint the ocean, and so she began, working slowly, but with great detail. She never noticed a splash of blue find its way onto her nose, but she could have cared less, had she known it was there.

A whole two hours passed, and Everly jumped when she heard Jack in the doorway.

"Seems you've found something to occupy yourself with."

"Cpt. Shakespeare gave me a task that is perfectly to my liking," Everly nodded. "I'm painting the ocean."

"Shakespeare would like me to paint as well," Jack said with a sigh. "I don't do well with painting. Mom tried to show me, years ago, and I was absolutely horrific at it."

"Are you going to paint in here?" Everly asked.

"No. I'm here for our afternoon meal," Jack said, shaking her head. "Afterwards, I'm going on deck to paint. Alvar seems to think it his responsibility to have me in sight at all times, so I'm to go on deck."

"He's a good teacher," Everly said easily, adding a splash of white to the canvas.

"Mm…He would be to you. Did you hear what Shakespeare wishes to teach us tonight?"

"No. What?" Everly asked excitedly.

"Dancing."

"Now that's something I need lots of help with," Everly said.

"That makes the both of us," Jack nodded. "I've asked to refrain from that training."

"Why is that?"

"I'd end up with Alvar for a dance partner."

"He's probably really good at dancing," Everly shrugged and couldn't help but laugh at Jack's look of disapproval.

"Anyways," Jack waved it off. "Time to eat. Here comes the captain and Alvar."

"Ah! Your painting is coming along splendidly!" Cpt. Shakespeare exclaimed, catching sight of Everly's canvas as he walked to the table. "Looks just like the ocean!"

Everly beamed with pride as she sat in the offered chair.

"I think I shall let you ladies continue painting this afternoon," Shakespeare said thoughtfully. "Tonight we are to have a feast and some dancing."

"I'm not at all good at dancing," Everly said as he pushed her seat in.

"No? I'm going to let Alvar teach you. You and he seemed to do well training together," Shakespeare smiled. "And you seem comfortable with him. Lady Jacqueline, if you don't mind, I'd rather teach you myself."

"I don't mind," Jack said with a sigh of relief.

"Very good."

The meal was finished quickly, due to Everly's excitement about painting again, and the afternoon found her and Jack standing on the deck, busy painting. Everly completely concentrated on her work, never looking towards Jack, but focusing on her painting and on the ocean far below the ship. She worked with the paints and canvas like a master painter, and she completely forgot about her surroundings and fellow company as she worked.

Jack couldn't say the same. She had never been much into painting, and she hadn't the slightest idea how to paint the sky. She kept adding one color to the canvas, only to find that green didn't suit the color of the sky, that teal made the painting look more like a peacock, and that purples just made the painting look like slime. Her colors swirled together, forming shades of color that she never knew existed and should have belonged in the belly of a whale. She got more paint on her clothing than on her canvas, and she became immensely frustrated.

Alvar didn't help matters. He praised Everly to no end, but when he came to Jack's painting, he squinted and raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"And what, pray tell, are you painting?" he asked, leaning over Jack's shoulder.

"The sky, Alvar. The sky," Jack growled.

"Ah…"

"Oh, just shut it already," Jack snapped in frustration.

"I've never seen brown in the sky before."

"Alvar, just go away!" Jack sighed in protest. "I don't know how to paint, all right? Go praise your star pupil. Stop pestering me. Besides, since when will Garris care if I can paint or not? Why are you so annoyed with my painting? This won't affect my state of health when I'm handed over to Garris. He won't want me to paint."

"No, but he won't appreciate it if you have shades of blue and purple all over your body. Might get the wrong impression," Alvar smirked.

Jack's eyebrows narrowed, and she was sorely tempted to poke Alvar in the face with her paintbrush, but she restrained herself and instead decided to ignore him entirely. He didn't care. He stood there, watching her struggling with the paints, covering herself with color, and then turned to Shakespeare.

"You're a very patient man, Shakespeare. It is rather kind of you to accommodate us in such a manner."

"My pleasure," Cpt. Shakespeare smiled. "I enjoy the company. And I'd like to speak with you for a moment, if you don't mind, Sir Alvar."

"Go ahead."

"In the cabin, if you don't mind," Shakespeare said.

"I won't leave Lady Jacqueline to her own devices," Alvar frowned.

"My men will see to it that she doesn't go anywhere."

Alvar nodded and followed the captain back into his cabin where a teapot of steaming tea was waiting. Shakespeare poured him a cup of the hot liquid and then sat back in his chair, watching Alvar take a sip.

"I have a bargain of sorts to make with you, Sir Alvar."

"And that would be?" Alvar asked, putting his cup down.

"How much is Garris going to give you for Lady Jacqueline?"

"Plenty enough to satisfy me."

"What if I give you more?" Shakespeare asked. "I have in this desk," and he rummaged about in the desk drawers, "a good sum of money. Ah! Here we are!"

He pulled out several bags of gold coins and put them on the desk before Alvar.

"You may test them, if you like. They're real."

"I trust you," Alvar said, sitting back. "I can't accept your offer."

"And why not?"

"Because her ladyship has become a challenge for me. Never have I had a prisoner attempt to escape from me, and succeeded for quite some time, before. She ran away to the world over the wall, Shakespeare, and stayed there for four years without me getting her. Then she tried to escape again when I found her a few days ago. She's a challenge, and I feel as though I won't be worth much unless I can deliver her safely to Garris. I also made a deal with him already, and I can't break it."

"You'd see her ladyship in the hands of Garris?" Shakespeare asked, an eyebrow arched.

"Her ladyship's life is none of my concern," Alvar shrugged. "The life of Lord Garris is none of my business, either. I don't meddle in anyone else's affairs."

"He'll abuse her."

"So be it."

"He'll corrupt her entirely so she'll wish she was dead."

"Better her than me."

"Alvar," Shakespeare chided. "Surely you don't wish that."

"If that's how things are meant to be, than so be it," Alvar said, his eyes dark. "You're asking me to display pity. Why should I do that? This is a job, like all my others, Shakespeare. I don't care what happens to Jacqueline."

"I think you do," Shakespeare frowned. "Your reaction last night led me to believe you have some care for her."

"My reaction was typical. I hadn't seen her in a dress in years," Alvar scowled. "I thought her incapable of looking somewhat distinguished in one. That has nothing to do with my feelings about anyone. She belongs to Garris. Her body belongs to Garris. If she's pretty, why should I give any thought to it? I've seen many beautiful women before. Garris will enjoy her entirely. Now stop with this conversation. I'm not taking your money for her. I'll bring her to Garris as I am meant to do, thank you."

Alvar stood and stretched, then turned his back to the captain.

"I'm going to see to it that she's right where I left her."

"Why so hardened, Alvar?" Shakespeare sighed. "You have the power to be noble, to do good things, but you refuse to use any of that power."

"What use is it to me?" Alvar asked, walking through the doorway and then slamming it shut behind him.


	9. Falling

**Chapter Eight: Falling**

Alvar and Captain Shakespeare did not talk to each other for the rest of the afternoon. Night brought with it calm skies and the ship drifted peacefully over the land of Stormhold. One had only to avoid looking up and seeing the gaping black holes in the night sky where stars had once shone.

The women had been promised a dancing lesson, and so a gramophone was brought onto the deck and made to play music to waltz to. Everly knew the basic steps, but she had practiced little. Victoria had had her sing at so many parties that she hardly got to dance. Alvar, her partner for now, knew many more dances than she. Once she learned to follow his lead, it was simple.

Jack was a better dancer than Everly, but there were still things Shakespeare pointed out to her that could be improved.

Once Everly got the hang of dancing with the man who had cared for her but was now selling her friend to a horrible lord as a servant, she was able to look around at the crew. Despite their hardened appearance, several of them were bobbing their heads in time to the music. She wondered if they knew how to dance and were critiquing her as they watched. It seemed unlikely, but with their captain and in this world anything seemed possible.

Jack should have known that something was wrong from the start. Captain Shakespeare was quiet and contemplative, aside from giving her pointers about her dancing. There was a strange light in his eyes, and it should have warned her that something was up. As it was, she was taken completely by surprise when he twirled her almost into Everly, causing himself to collide with Alvar and take Everly for his own partner. The captain and the young woman were twirling off before Jack or the warrior had time to recover.

He held out his arms to dance with her, breaking the reverie, but she hesitated. The crew booed at her reaction. Alvar said nothing, but lifted one eyebrow. Sighing, Jack took her position as his dance partner.

"What on earth was that?" Everly gasped quietly to the captain.

There was laughter in his eyes as he replied. "Someone needed them to dance together. Look at how beautifully they match."

Everly looked. There they were, twirling gracefully but awkwardly. She imagined that Jack was reluctant to have Alvar close to her. The younger woman shook her head.

"They remind me of your father and mother," Shakespeare said, his eyes far off. Everly knew that even though he was looking at her, he was thinking of the people she apparently resembled. "And I want to see them together just like that."

"But Alvar is so old!" Everly exclaimed. Immediately she clamped her mouth shut and glanced in Alvar's direction, hoping he hadn't heard her. He appeared to be absorbed in his dance partner.

When she looked back at Shakespeare, he laughed. "Twelve years is hardly a difference here," he said to her.

Everly did the math in her head. She was eighteen. If Alvar had carried her when he was seventeen, that made him thirty-five. Minus twelve was twenty-three, Jack's age. It still seemed a large gap to her.

The captain saw the doubt in her eyes. "My dear, people live longer here," he said, "And even in your world, her maturity would make up for any gap in age. Besides," and with this he dipped her low so that he could whisper in her ear, "The rules are different here. Not quite so uptight about clothes or touching."

Everly blushed.

"That was a cruel trick," Jack said later as she and Everly climbed into bed.

"What was?" Everly asked, turning off their lamp.

"Captain Shakespeare throwing me so violently towards Alvar. Doesn't he know how much we hate each other?"

"You don't hate Alvar," Everly grinned; glad her friend couldn't see her face in the darkness. "You just don't like what he's doing. He is a good dancer."

"That doesn't change anything! Do you know how awkward it is to be held in your enemy's arms with absolutely nothing to say? All we could do was glare at each other the whole evening."

"You're getting rather upset over something so seemingly insignificant. And you weren't glaring at each other. You looked curious," Everly giggled.

"You think this is funny?" Jack asked, her voice low as she held back from giggling with her friend.

"Why don't you just admit there's something different about him and get over it?"

"Oh, there's something different about him all right!" Jack laughed loudly. "He's too much older than I am, he isn't blonde, he's arrogant, oh, and let's not forget, he's handing me over to Garris to be a slave! There's plenty of difference."

"You were actually thinking about things like that? What about his height? Not too tall for you, is he?"

"Well no, he's the perfect height, but…"

Jack stopped right in her tracks and then turned her body towards Everly.

"Shakespeare did that on purpose, didn't he? You and he both are in some sort of cahoots right now to get me and Alvar teamed up! Everly!"

"You two were cute together, despite your differences!" Everly laughed. "You looked good together."

"Take that back!" Jack cried playfully. "We did not!"

"Did so!"

"Don't get any ideas in your head," Jack warned. "I'd still stab him, given the chance."

"I highly doubt you'd stab anyone. You scratched him before, but you didn't stab him."

"Let's just forget about Alvar," Jack sighed. "He is my enemy, despite any good traits or physical features. If you keep talking about him, I'm going to bring up how he never wears any shirts just so you'll cut it out."

"What do you think will happen to me, after you're left with Garris?" Everly asked, becoming serious.

"Alvar will bring you back over the wall," Jack said decidedly.

"How do you know?"

"Because despite being cruel to me and handing me over to Garris, you need protecting, and Alvar knows how to do it and wants to. He protected you before, when he brought you to England in the first place. He'll do it again. I say we should get some sleep," Jack said, closing her eyes tiredly. "Who knows what's going to happen tomorrow."

"Sweet dreams," Everly said, then turned over and whispered in Jack's ear. "Course, they will be sweet with Alvar in them, won't they?"

She laughed when Jack grabbed a pillow and threw it at her.

Both women woke up with a start when, hours later, the ship rocked violently, nearly shaking them off the bed. The girls got their bearings and then grabbed hold of the sheets when the ship rocked again, this time sending them in the opposite direction. Lightning flashed outside the windows, and thunder roared, making both women jump out of the bed and rush towards the cabin door.

"What's happening?" Everly shouted, flinging the door open.

"We're in a bad storm!" one of the pirates called, rushing past in an attempt to get to the ship's stern. "We're collecting lightning and trying to manage the ship at the same time!"

"They're going to need help," Jack said, pulling Everly back into the cabin and shutting the door. "Get some breeches and a shirt."

"Back in the men's clothes?" Everly sighed, rushing towards Shakespeare's closet.

"Yes. I'll bet Shakespeare hasn't worn most of them," Jack nodded, flinging the closet open and grabbing a pirate shirt and brown breeches.

The women changed out of their nightclothes and into the men's clothes, then ran to the deck. Everly pulled her hair back in a quick ponytail while Jack braided hers back, flinging it over her shoulder as she stepped onto the rain-soaked deck.

Men were rushing all over the place, grabbing sail ropes and holding on for dear life as the ship rocked violently and rain pelted down ferociously, soaking everyone. The lightning was terribly close, as the ship was in the sky, and other pirates, ones not occupied with ship, were standing as steadily as they could, by the railings, collecting energy in large containers.

"Both of you get back in the cabin," Alvar ordered, swinging down from a sail rope and landing in front of the women. "You shouldn't be out here."

"We came to help," Jack said firmly. "Show us what to do."

Alvar scowled and released the rope he had been holding. His body was drenched, his shirt once again discarded, and strands of hair lay across his eyes, but none of those things could hide the demanding in his eyes. He spoke, firm and scolding, and growled as Jack finished his sentence for him.

"And you, Jacqueline, I couldn't afford to lose overboard…"

"…Because Garris would be most disappointed."

Jack matched Alvar's glare, and Everly shuddered, not from the weather, but from the fury in the two persons before her.

"Jacqueline…"

"Alvar."

"Ah, girls! I'm so glad to see you!" Cpt. Shakespeare called from the helm. "Lady Everly, go over to Piggy, there, and get him to teach you about the lightning. It's quite a sport to learn. Lady Jacqueline, I'm certain you know something or other about ships. Climb up the rigging for me, please, and inform the crow's nest watch that I want him down here. It's not safe up there. Any fool would know not to be up there holding a metal fishing rod. Go on."

Alvar grabbed Jack's arm as she turned away from him, pulling her sleeve enough to show the stitches in her shoulder.

"You're going to open that up again," he warned.

"I won't," she said firmly, and then raced to the ropes leading to the crow's nest. Barefoot, she began to climb up, skillfully, having done so before. Everly moved towards the pirate, Piggy, as she had been told, and he showed her how to collect lightning and store it. He let her hold the heavy material in her small hands and taught her everything he knew about the lightning. She was fascinated by the art and skill involved, and she enjoyed her task, despite the storm and dangerous winds.

Alvar tried to keep an eye on both women as he managed several of the sails, tugging at ropes to tie them down and retying them again when the wind whipped them about. He could see Everly well enough, standing on the deck, her eyes wide and a childlike expression of complete joy on her face as she worked with the lightning. Jack was farther up, and he had to gaze up towards the sky to see her reaching the crow's nest, repeating Cpt. Shakespeare's orders, and then climbing back down again.

A wave of rain washed across the deck, sending several pirates skidding across the wooden boards and crashing into the railing. Alvar dodged back and forth as bodies scuttled by, not very worried about the storm. The weather was settling down somewhat, and Alvar left the sail ropes to approach the captain, asking for new orders.

He was making his way to the stairs up to the helm when the whole ship tilted harshly to the starboard side. He grabbed hold of a railing to keep himself from going overboard, and then looked up to see Jack slipping from the ropes. She gasped as she lost hold and fell away from the ropes, falling a good twenty feet towards the deck.

Alvar was waiting. Instead of hitting the deck, Jack found herself landing, hard, in someone's arms, making her rescuer fall back with a groan to keep himself standing upright. She threw her arms around the person's neck, afraid to fall out of his arms and slip overboard, scared and startled from her dangerous fall. She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath as her rescuer stood up straight. When she had regained her breath, she opened her eyes to gaze straight into Alvar's.

For a split second, everything stopped. She couldn't hear the pirates rushing about her. She couldn't feel the rain beating down on her body. She drowned in Alvar's eyes, and was only aware of his arms tight around her, holding her up. He returned her gaze, and she couldn't read the emotion behind those dark eyes. He must have thought her stupid for staring at him, and she tried to look away, ashamed, but something touching her cheek stopped her from looking away. She didn't notice him taking a step, carrying her strongly across the deck.

Alvar knew she was stunned, but he hadn't had enough of those dark green eyes, and so, when she turned to look away, he put his hand on her cheek, just for a moment, keeping her still. It was his desire to carry her somewhere and set her down, because for some strange reason, he found pleasure in holding this woman close, and he wasn't too eager to let her go.

Everything went completely silent on the ship. Everyone stopped moving, watching, eyes wide, as Alvar, the powerful warrior, carried his captive across the ship. What a strange sight! Of all the odd things!

Captain Shakespeare, at the helm, leaned against the wooden appliance and let out a long sigh.

Alvar was shaken out of his thoughts, whatever they may have been, and he glanced around nervously, seeing everyone staring at him. He became aware of the situation he had put himself in, noticed that he had carried Jack completely across the deck for no reason, and, losing his concentration, he dropped her, right onto a pile of wet coats. She didn't make a sound as he turned away from her and walked back to the sails, acting as though absolutely nothing had happened.

"Jack! What happened?" Everly demanded, running to her friend. "Are you hurt?"

"I have no idea what just happened," Jack said, confused. "What happened? Why did everything freeze?"

"Alvar just held you, and you didn't kill him. Are you feeling all right?" Everly asked worriedly.

"I'm so confused," Jack said, struggling to her feet and walking towards the captain's cabin.

"All's well! Everyone go get some sleep!" Cpt. Shakespeare suddenly shouted, and Everly chased after her friend.

"Jack?"

"I don't know what happened. I'm not feeling good, Everly. I need to get back to sleep," Jack whispered, collapsing onto the bed as Everly shut the door behind them.

Everly put a hand to her friend's forehead to find it suddenly warm.

Jack's heart rate had gone up significantly, and she couldn't understand what had happened. Why had Alvar been holding her? And what had she felt against her cheek? Did he touch her?

"I'll be all right, Everly. I just need to get to sleep," Jack murmured, closing her eyes and letting sleep take her.

Everly gazed at her friend, worried as Jack fell immediately back to sleep. She then settled down atop the blankets and let her eyes close, never seeing Alvar glancing quickly through a crack in the door before he closed it all the way.


	10. Garris

**Chapter Nine: Garris**

A full week passed. In that week, Shakespeare taught the young ladies aboard his ship everything he could think of to teach them. Everly learned how to dance professionally, like a true lady, and she found herself dancing more with the good captain than with Alvar, for Alvar was, rather mysteriously, always asked to demonstrate certain dance skills with Jack. Everly loved every minute aboard the ship. Shakespeare himself taught her a bit about cooking, about how to play small sonatas on his piano, and how to sword fight. Alvar was employed for most of the sword fighting, but there were times when the captain preferred to get involved. Everly's favorite skill was painting, and this she did with passion and pleasure. She and Shakespeare would spend hours painting together while Jack and Alvar, in a corner of the room or deck, would play rather the ferocious game of cards. They never spoke a word together, truly, they barely spoke for the whole voyage, but a game of cards was something they seemed able to do somewhat quietly.

After the week was over, Cpt. Shakespeare had the crew make berth at a large bay that was covered with snow and was icy cold.

"Nighthelm," Shakespeare commented, watching as his men lowered the plank.

"And Excalibur is waiting," Alvar nodded, gesturing to the large gray and white horse that stood a safe distance away.

"My dear Everly," Shakespeare said, putting a dark red cloak around the girl, "it has been my pleasure meeting and training the princess. Now, I'm afraid, you must go, but we'll meet again. And keep an eye on those two," he whispered, his eyebrows raised in Jack and Alvar's direction. "Love often comes in the strongest forms of hatred."

Everly laughed and then stunned the captain by throwing her arms around him and giving him a big hug.

"Thank you for everything," she smiled.

"My pleasure."

"Cpt. Shakespeare, I appreciate your assistance, thank you," Alvar said, taking Everly's arm and leading her towards Excalibur. "You've been most accommodating."

Shakespeare nodded and then turned his head to see Jack standing above the plank, eyes glued to the snowy landscape before her. He could read entirely what she was thinking, just by looking at those dark green eyes, and he moved to her side and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't try anything, Lady Jacqueline. You won't be able to run."

"I was taught never to surrender," Jack said firmly, her eyebrows narrowing. "How can I be expected to go willingly to such a terrible place?"

"How could a king be willing to become dumb like a lamb to the slaughter?"

"Shakespeare, I can't be expected to behave like the Christ and hand myself over," Jack sighed.

"Everly will be needing your help, won't she?"

"She has Alvar."

Jack shrunk back slightly as Alvar came to a stand before her. Without warning, he grabbed her hand and wrapped the enchanted chain around it, binding them together again. She drew her hand back sharply and then growled when the cord whipped across her skin.

"Take care," Shakespeare waved as Alvar brought Jack with him to Excalibur. "Call if you need anything."

"We will," Everly waved back from atop Excalibur. She watched as Alvar hoisted Jack up behind her, and then she looked ahead as Alvar led Excalibur away from the ship and into the snow.

An hour and a half later, they stopped at a village to obtain another horse. The one they found was a blue roan gelding, and they were assured of his swift feet and strong back. Alvar helped Everly onto the new mount and then swung up onto Excalibur's back before hoisting Jack up behind him. Jack wasn't happy at all about being there, and she kept her hands completely off the warrior as he urged the horse forward. Fifteen minutes later, she was forced to throw her arms around him when Excalibur and Lincus, the new horse, began to climb up a very steep, rocky mountain full of snow.

"Do we have much longer to journey?" Everly asked, clinging to her horse's mane as he stumbled on an icy boulder.

"No," Alvar said, putting a hand back onto Jack's thigh, much to her disdain, to keep her atop the horse as she started to slip back.

"Do you think he'll be waiting?"

"He'll see us from a distance," Alvar said, turning Excalibur onto an icy road. "His castle is high up in the mountains, giving him a view of everything."

"What happens then?"

"We'll bring Jacqueline up to him, I'll get my pay, then we'll leave. Though, I'm certain Garris with have some sort of celebratory banquet in honor of Jacqueline's return. We may stay for that," Alvar shrugged.

"Everly doesn't need to be there for that," Jack said firmly. "You know about how Garris and his men…"

"I'm certain I'll be one of those in the crowd," Alvar interrupted. "There's the fortress now."

Jack and Everly gazed up ahead to see a great stone castle, settled atop more cliffs, dark and imposing. Jack shuddered and tightened her hold on Alvar, closing her eyes and pressing her face against the back of his shoulder as she did so.

"Is that Garris?" Everly interrupted the silence, and Alvar looked up to see several men standing atop the castle wall, watching them approach. He saw Garris standing in the center, dark eyes glittering with pleasure, and nodded.

"That would be him."

"He looks so cruel."

"And that's only half of it," Jack murmured into Alvar's shoulder.

"You're making yourself look pathetic," Alvar sneered. "Hiding your face like a child. If you want him to have any respect for you at all, you'll face him."

Jack growled and looked up, her eyes meeting Garris's as she did so.

The look in his face terrorized her more than anything else ever could have. In his steely eyes was a look of such triumph, of such pride, of such cruelty and wicked desire, that Jack's heart abruptly hardened. She held her head higher, returned his look with pride and determination of her own, and then made one last attempt at escape.

Moving quickly, she wrapped her arm around Alvar and reached up, grabbing the knife hidden beneath his sleeve. She then brought the blade tearing through the chain on her wrist and fell off Excalibur's back, immediately running to keep the chain from repairing itself.

Alvar let out a shout of frustration and turned Excalibur to go after the woman, instructing Everly to stay put as Excalibur charged across the snow. Everly looked up worriedly to see that Garris had disappeared from sight, but a great gate was opening at the entrance of the castle, and a whole herd of horses was rushing out, their riders shouting and urging them on. She turned her head again, hoping to see Alvar, but he, Excalibur, and Jack were already completely out of sight.

Jack ran faster than she had during her first escape years ago, no longer hindered by an injured wrist. She didn't think about where she was running, only that she should run back towards the wall, no matter how far away it might be. She knew Everly would be safe with Alvar, hence the only reason she left the girl behind. Right now, she had to get away from Garris any possible way she could. She knew the evil look in his eye, knew what he had in store, and it would be wrong of her to do anything but run.

She shouted in aggravation when she heard horse hooves pounding in the snow behind her, and she didn't have to look to know that Alvar was closing in again. Briefly, she wondered how it was she had escaped so quickly the first time, and then realized that for the first escape, she had been at one of Garris' other castles, which was why she had made it over the wall so quickly.

She didn't let herself think anymore as Excalibur got closer, and she didn't look at the ground as she ran. She let out a sharp gasp when her feet nearly slid out from under her, and only then did she glance down to see that she was running on ice that had covered a large lake. She ignored all warnings about how ice could be soft, for she was much more terrified of Garris than she was of any icy lake.

Alvar cried out in rage as Excalibur slid to a stop and he jumped off the horse's back and rushed onto the ice after Jack. He had to admit to himself; the girl was good. She really seemed to think these escapes through before she carried them out. Either that, or she relied heavily on luck. She was going to need that luck now, if she had any wish to escape. He could easily catch up with her, and Garris had sent more than enough men to help him out.

And then the ice gave way, and Alvar dropped into the freezing water.

Garris, now standing at the entrance of his castle, smiled with amusement at Alvar's mistake.

"Sir, shall we go help him out?" his captain asked, mounted atop a great stallion.

"No," Garris said lightly. "Let him drown. We won't have to worry about losing any more money that way. He's been of enough assistance."

"What about the girl?"

"My men are circling to the other side of the lake. They'll catch her for me."

Jack came to an abrupt stop when she reached the other side of the lake and saw men closing in on her from the left, all atop horses. If she ran to the far right, she could evade them and struggle through a great deal of thorny bushes. It would be painful, but they wouldn't be able to follow her through the bushes, and she'd make it to safety.

Something made her turn back to see Alvar fall through the ice. Her first thought was to keep running. Why help him? All he had been doing this whole time was hunting her down, keeping her safe so she'd be in good shape for Garris. Surely, there was no reason to save him. What kind of thinking was that, though? Alvar was another human, another breathing creature who valued life just as much as she did. It would be cruel, and far too much like Garris, for her to leave Alvar to die.

Jack sucked in a deep breath, gazed at the sky, asking the Creator of all things why on earth He had given her such a soft heart, and then turned and ran back towards the lake. She skidded across the ice and then stopped at the spot where Alvar had disappeared. His hands were gripping the edges of the hole, turning blue rapidly, and he was struggling to pull his body out of the water, but his hands were too cold and his body too frozen for him to move himself. His eyes, glazed and icy, turned to hers, but he was too cold to even ask for help.

Jack lowered herself, not just in body, but in spirit. She fell to her knees on the ice, bowed her head and heart in submission, closed her mouth to keep herself from resisting any longer, and then reached out and wrapped her arms underneath Alvar's. She then stood up slightly, to keep her balance, and began pulling.

He was heavy, much too heavy for her to lift completely up, and so she got his upper body out of the hole and then plunged her hands into the icy water, grabbed his legs, and pulled the rest of him out.

He was shivering horrifically, his teeth chattering together and his whole face turning blue.

"Freezing…c...c…cold," he hissed between his teeth, trying hard to get to his feet, but his whole body was shivering and he couldn't move.

Tears fell from Jack's eyes as she gave up her last available escape and moved over to him. Garris was going to hurt her; there were no more doubts about that. Alvar would hand her over. It was his job and he would do it. But she couldn't let him freeze to death, couldn't see her enemy suffer, and so, trembling from fear and freezing cold hands and arms, Jack wrapped her arms around Alvar and pulled him against her body. He was closer than she ever would have permitted otherwise, his weight pushing her down as she held him.

She heard the horses coming, but ignored them as she helped Alvar into a more comfortable position and then lay against his chest, her body heat warming him somewhat. More tears fell onto his chest as Garris's men reached out, grabbed her by the hair, and hoisted her off Alvar. But she didn't say a word, didn't fight, as she was pulled away and Alvar was helped to his feet and half-dragged, half-carried towards the castle.

Alvar, Everly, and Jack were ushered into a warm reception area once they reached the castle with Garris's men, the horses taken into the stables. Alvar was given a blanket and a seat near the fire as Garris stood before him. The lord was smiling at the warrior despite his desire for him to die in the frozen-over lake. He still had to pay the mercenary for his services, but he was glad, in a sick way, that the Lady Jacqueline had been returned to him in more or less pristine condition.

"You are to be congratulated," Garris told Alvar.

"Where is m-m-my p-p-pay?" the warrior wanted to know.

"All in good time, my friend. Tonight it will be presented to you at the banquet. You are of course invited to stay the night, if you wish." Then Garris's eyes fell on Everly, who was standing with the group, being ignored. Alvar noticed that she had taken Garris's attention and came up with an excuse for her on the spot.

"Who is this fine creature?" the lord of the castle asked. His eyes flickered up and down the young woman's form.

"She's mine," Alvar said, a sly grin finding its way onto his face. "Bought her along the way. Mouthwatering, isn't she?" This said, he winked in Everly's direction.

The young princess was mortified. Blood rushed to her face and she wrapped her arms around herself, embarrassed to be in the men's clothing. Her actions prompted hearty guffaws from the men present. Jack narrowed her eyes at Alvar, not believing what she was hearing. Alvar was, of course, lying. He did not and could not own Everly.

Garris was smirking, but his eyes had narrowed. "You had Jacqueline here tied up, but not so your own servant. You trust her not to run off?"

"Oh, she knows what would happen to her if she tried to escape, and she's at least bright enough to not attempt it." Alvar's words prompted more dark chuckles from the men who held Jack prisoner. But then he turned to Everly and eyed her as if measuring her abilities. "Still," he continued, "On the invitation to stay. Give me a room for her that locks from the outside, and give me the only key."

Everly wished that the floor would open up and swallow her. As it was, she let her head hang so that the hair that had fallen out of her braid could cover her flaming cheeks.

The warrior could have cared less about her comfort. He had accomplished his goal. He had ensured that Garris would not touch her while they were staying in his castle.

"Alright then," Garris said, this time addressing the whole of the people present. "There is to be feasting and merrymaking tonight, in honor of the return of the Lady Jacqueline, my betrothed." He took Jack's hand roughly and kissed it, causing her to want to snarl at him. Then he addressed the guards holding her. "Take her to the kitchens to the other maids and mind she's instructed on how to properly serve us at the banquet tonight."

They nodded, and took Jack roughly by her upper arms and dragged her off.

A butler appeared out of nowhere, and now Garris spoke to him. "Show Lord Alvar and his charge to the westernmost guest room. Give Master Alvar the key."

The butler nodded, and without speaking motioned for Alvar to follow him.

The warrior stood and crossed to Everly. Keeping his blanket around him, he reached down and wrapped his left arm around her waist, pulling her hard against him to the resounding roars of perverted approval from Garris's men still lingering. "_Appearance,_" he whispered to her when she squeaked in quiet protest.

Suddenly understanding, Everly nodded and wrapped her right arm around him in return. He was still cold from his time in the lake.

When they reached the room, Alvar pushed his "servant" into the room with her pack and an order to change into the dress Shakespeare had given her. He closed the door behind her, but didn't lock it yet. She would have to change quickly.

The reason Alvar wanted her to change quickly was because he had spotted Bendel walking from the other end of the hallway towards them. It appeared that Jack's brother was staying with Lord Garris as well. The warrior had come up with a new spin on his plan on the spot. He knew that in case he and Everly had to leave in event of an emergency, she would move faster if she had an idea of where she was going. So he would see if Bendel would give her a tour of Garris's palace. He also wanted to attend the banquet, but knowing Garris's men he was loath to leave Everly in a room by herself. Bendel, he knew, wouldn't attend and was a fairly good man underneath whatever curse Jack went on about. He would care for Everly, at least until Alvar was sure he had his pay.

When the princess in disguise stepped out of the room in the red and pink dress, Bendel greeted her with a nod and Alvar with a hand slid about her waist. She had to bite her tongue to avoid squealing from the touch. _Appearance_, she repeated to herself.

"My darling, Lord Bendel here has agreed to show you around this place," Alvar told her. "So you can stretch those pretty legs of yours after riding so long."

She blushed but nodded in acquiescence and took Bendel's offered arm. Jack's brother didn't look particularly pleased at the arrangement, so Alvar clapped him on the shoulder.

"Come on, man," the warrior said heartily, "You'll enjoy the company on whatever musings you may go off on. Of course, you may want to be distracted from your musings by this one. Just pull this door to when you're done. Lock her in."

Once again, Everly had to bite her tongue. Here was Alvar, who Jack had assured her would take care of her and who had taken care of her before, giving Bendel permission to do with her what he pleased! Still, she had no choice but to follow Jack's brother and trust that Alvar knew what he was doing.

As he watched their backs retreat before him, it was all Alvar could do not to breathe a sigh of relief. One of his charges was taken care of for the night. The other he still considered his, as he hadn't been paid for her yet. That was his goal now; he could focus on that.

Everly and Bendel walked in silence. The farther they went, the more comfortable she felt, to her own surprise. Despite Alvar's suggestions, Bendel made no move to take anything from her. For a few minutes she was tense, remembering images of the star he had killed in front of her, but also remembered Jack's declaration that he was under a curse, and it wasn't really him. And deep in her heart, Everly believed it too. The knowledge saddened her, but she realized here was an opportunity to study her relatives' killer. She relaxed and focused on studying her surroundings. As of now they were quite dull. It was a long hallway with only the occasional stained tapestry covering the dark wall.

In fact, Bendel was struggling with himself on what to say. He was accustomed to being alone when he came to visit Garris, for the two men shared little in common except their interest in hunting stars. But now with the woman beside him, he felt obligated to say at least _something_.

"So, how long has Alvar had you with him?" Bendel began awkwardly.

Everly thought for a few seconds. She figured that she should be as honest as possible while sticking to the story that Alvar had more or less acted out, for she'd never been a good liar. "A week and a half," she answered, calculating back to when she and Jack had run away from Wall. Goodness, had it only been that long?

"How is my sister?" He asked this in a dead voice, and Everly looked at his face for the first time, really studied it, confused. She saw a perfectly blank mask of blue eyes under dark eyebrows and curly dirty blonde hair hanging in those eyes. Jack had claimed that he was her twin brother but pain made him appear much older than she.

"She is well," the young woman answered carefully. Something told her that she was treading dangerous ground.

She saw the man with her swallow thickly and beads of sweat break out onto his brow. He was fighting with himself, she could see.

"The fool should have treated her more roughly!" He finally burst out. There was iciness in his blue eyes now, and it scared Everly. She almost jumped out of her skin when he turned those dangerous orbs on her. "Though I guess he used what little cruelty he had on you." With this, he too wrapped an arm about her waist and pulled her close to himself. He put his nose to her ear.

"No!" Everly cried out without thinking, pushing back against his grip. Then she realized that her outburst had the potential of foiling the act that Alvar had set up to protect her. So she backtracked. "I m-m-mean, my lord, that my lord Alvar wouldn't…wouldn't…" She faltered. She had nothing. His eyes still had the dangerous glint to them and her heart was in her mouth in fear.

Suddenly Bendel's eyes narrowed. He pulled her back to him, but this time he was moving, pushing her with him. "Alvar wanted me distracted from my musings…" he said to himself as he entered a sitting room. He moved past the furniture, taking care to close the door behind him, and threw back the curtains at the far wall to reveal a wide balcony. It was freezing outside, but Everly didn't notice the temperature quite as much as she noticed her captor spinning her towards him so he could slide both of his hands up her back and tangle them in her hair. He had to turn her face up so that he could once again bury his nose in her hair.

Since she was forced to look up while she was imprisoned in Bendel's arms, Everly saw something that slightly encouraged her and gave her an idea.

"Aren't the stars beautiful?" she cried hysterically as Bendel suddenly moved his head lower to brush his lips across her neck. When it registered with him what she had said, he froze for a split second.

The Everly's world spun and she realized (when she hit the ground) that he had thrown her backwards. Her elbows absorbed most of the impact of her fall but her head did connect painfully with the stone balcony floor. She moaned and pushed herself up into a sitting position. Bendel was standing with his back to her now, shaking in fury.

"Murderers, the lot of them," he growled. "Glowing, deceiving, demons."

The young woman flinched as he insulted her extended family, but she was grateful that mention of them had gotten her out of the situation he had put her in. Now that she could feel the freezing air, she was shivering in her light dress.

Bendel turned to face her again, his icy eyes flashing. But then they softened. It was as if he just melted.

"Oh my goodness," he murmured, ducking his head in shame and avoiding her gaze. "I'm so sorry. I…I don't know what came over me. Please accept my most heartfelt apologies. You aren't mine to treat in such a manner."

Everly was dazed by the speed at which his mood had changed. He'd left her in the dust, wondering what on earth had flown past. She accepted the hand he offered her but took a few steps back when she stood. He was too ashamed of himself, it appeared, to look her in the eye.

"Come on," he said, "Let's get you out of the cold and back to your room. You probably won't want to be out and about the castle at this hour. It would be most dangerous for you."


	11. The Rescue

**Chapter Ten: The Rescue**

Alvar wasn't at all amused or in the mood for being entertained as he entered the great banquet hall, having just left Everly in Bendel's care. Perhaps it hadn't been the wisest idea, but it would give her a good look around, and he didn't imagine that Bendel would have the evil imaginings of Garris to be of any real threat to Everly. He was here for business, anyhow. Why should he worry about Everly? The girl had brains as well as beauty. She could take care of herself.

The banquet hall was already loud, even at this early hour in the evening. Garris had well over forty guests in the room, most of them men younger than he and Alvar were. The men were drinking their fill of the reputed finest rum and wine in the whole of Stormhold. Alvar wasn't one to drink, especially not when he had come for the purpose of retrieving money. He had learned, once upon a time, that masters of the house were more prone to try and make their warriors drunk if it would save them from handing over vast sums of money.

There was no beating about the bush on this one. Alvar wanted to leave this place as soon as possible, and he wanted his money going with him. He held his head high and walked through the room with firm steps, moving straight towards Garris.

"Lord Garris," he spoke, sitting next to the man when it was gestured that he do so.

"Yes, Sir Alvar?"

"I'd like my payment for the Lady Jacqueline. Then my servant and I shall be on our way."

"You don't wish to enjoy the evening's fancies?" Garris asked, taking a gulp of his water and signaling towards the doorway. "The meal has only just begun."

Alvar's dark eyes flitted to the doorway, and he watched as servants entered the room, carrying immense trays of food.

"I'd rather just get my money and go," Alvar said firmly.

"If that's what you wish," Garris shrugged. "Here you are."

He pulled several pouches of coins out from beneath his seat and placed them in front of Alvar.

"Count it, if you wish," Garris said coolly.

"I will," Alvar scowled, opening the bags of coins and beginning to count.

Food was spread across the great table, and Alvar ignored all of it as he counted and checked every coin to make sure it was real. He had been cheated before, and he didn't wish for it to happen again. He snarled when a flirtatious servant brushed her hand across his shoulders and winked at him.

"Garris, is it habit of yours to find only the most flirtatious of servants?" Alvar growled, closing one bag and opening another.

"Most of my guests find it pleasurable," Garris answered. "I can imagine, with your lovely servant, that you might perhaps understand the pleasures of having beautiful women around."

"It seems your servants are rather happy to be here."

"Sad my betrothed isn't in that group of happy servants," Garris sighed.

"Ah, and here comes the good lady now," one of his drunk comrades exclaimed, slamming his empty wine goblet onto the table.

"Indeed," Garris nodded, and the sudden glitter in his eyes gave Alvar an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach. True, Jack was no longer in his care, her price having been paid, but something bothered him about Garris's _affection _for the woman.

"The most beautiful woman in the room," Garris said proudly, sitting back in his seat and watching as Jack came in, carrying a plate of some roasted meats.

The tray was heavy and hard to hold, and Jack stumbled under it, but that didn't give Alvar cause for being unsettled. No, it was the way she was treated as she walked across the room. The servants of the household had dressed her in clothing that Garris had sanctioned the servants, and the dress Jack wore did little to ease her mind, as well as Alvar's. She was clothed in a dark blue dress, form fitting to accentuate her figure, calling for the whistles of Garris's guests. She didn't fit in with the rest of the servants, for they were either older gentlemen, accustomed to all sorts of mannerisms, or the female servants, unattractive women with wandering eyes and crude manners. The woman was truly a lady, walking tall and remaining calm even as she walked across the room and men with filthy, alcohol-covered hands, sought to touch her.

Only Alvar saw Jack biting her lip, keeping her eyes looking straight ahead as someone spilled rum on her in an attempt to grab her, and only the warrior noticed the glimmer of tears in her eyes as she was called an objectionable name and was whistled to like a dog.

"Lady Jacqueline, that dress certainly flatters you," Garris spoke as Jack stopped before him.

"Thank you, my lord," she whispered, placing the platter down before Alvar.

Her hands were shaking, and Alvar glanced up into her face. She didn't return the gaze, but looked away and made a move to leave when Garris took her hand and pulled her to him.

"Darling, that's enough serving for the night. Please, sit with me."

"No thank you, my lord. I prefer serving your guests," Jack said quietly, never looking into the man's face, like a dog.

"Nevertheless, I insist," Garris crooned and then pulled her so she was sitting very nearly in his lap. She moved so that she was sitting on the edge of his knees, barely sitting, more like balancing, and she shuddered when Garris moved a hand to her hair.

"Isn't that much more comfortable?" Garris smiled, pulling her hair away from her neck.

"Yes, my lord," Jack shivered.

"Really, you should have brought your servant, Alvar," Garris said, wrapping his arms around Jack. "She would have enjoyed the festivities."

"No. She'd rather be refreshed for when I get back," Alvar said coolly.

He didn't like this. Not at all.

"Mm…Quite the meal," Alvar said, standing abruptly. "I do believe I'll retire to my chambers for the evening. I shall be leaving on the morrow. Good night, Lord Garris."

The man didn't answer, but pressed a kiss to Jack's temple, apparently having forgotten all about Alvar already.

With a sneer, Alvar went to his chambers and unlocked the door. He stepped quietly into the darkened room and then closed the door behind him and locked it. He turned to see Everly asleep in the bed, cuddled up in her blankets, her innocent face illuminated by a stream moonbeam.

He had never really cared for innocence, never really valued purity, but Everly and Jack were two women that made him respect it. The look on Jack's face when he left the room traumatized him. The way Everly behaved when he touched her made him nearly laugh, but at the same time, it made him ponder.

As he changed his shirt for a more comfortable one to sleep in, he tried to push away the nagging feeling gnawing at his conscience. Jacqueline wasn't in his care anymore, yet he was worried. He hated that. He assumed it had something to do with that dress she had worn on Shakespeare's ship. No, it was more than that. He hated how her eyes no longer danced, as they had on the ship. He despised that here, she bowed herself like a true slave, without any fight, without that loveable defiance of hers.

Alvar sighed as he grabbed a blanket from the foot of the bed and then lay down on the floor next to Everly. He wanted to be there for this girl, should any intruders come to do her harm. He tried to sleep, but found, as he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, that he really couldn't fall asleep.

He wasn't the only one that couldn't sleep. Once the banquet was over, Jack retired to her room. Her room was immense, frighteningly so, with great pieces of furniture that cast frightening shadows in the darkness. The furniture did little to scare her in comparison to the master of the house. Garris terrorized her. She had been nearly ready to faint when he held her, and the way he fed her meat, the way he treated her like she was just a morsel herself…

Jack's stomach twisted for the third time that night, as she slid into her bed, dressed in yet another immodest nightgown. She wished there were pirate shirts and breeches in here. She'd feel a whole lot safer. But no, there had only been this nightgown, and if that wasn't enough to trouble her, the door had immediately been locked behind her when she got in the room.

There would be no sleeping tonight, and Jack was expecting several more rounds of nausea. She felt like the walls were caving in, for there was no way to escape, and she knew she was nothing more than a pet, without a single way of defending herself.

With this thought, she climbed out of the sheets and threw up in the chamber pot under the large bed. Thus emptied and weakened, she nearly fell back into the bed. She was too faint to react to her chamber door opening and closing, though she knew exactly who had entered.

Garris, through with the drunken party in the banquet, had come up to enjoy his prize. He stalked over to the bedside, hoping to find her asleep. However he was well pleased with the state he did find her in. She was on her back, pale, looking at him with frightened eyes. It was almost a pity, he thought, that this would be so easy after all this time. Shrugging, he leaned towards her.

Jack was up as quickly as she could manage. Now she stood opposite him, in between him and the door but far away from it.

Garris grinned. Perhaps she still had some fire left in her after all.

"Now, now my dear," he said, "You belong to me now. There's really nothing you can do. Precious Alvar will leave in the morning and forget all about you. It's my right."

"It's not," Jack disagreed. "We aren't married. I'm just a servant." She was inching backwards, hoping he wouldn't notice.

He sighed. "And here I'd hoped we could come into some sort of agreement over that. Perhaps after tonight I could _persuade_ you to marry me."

"Not in a million years," Jack whispered. She was trembling but trying her hardest to stay upright.

Garris had caught her small movements towards the door, and covered the distance she'd traveled in a single step. He was inches from her now, and she had to fight her instinct to lean back. If she did, she would fall over.

But he had had enough. Without warning, he brought his hand slamming hard against her cheek, trying to force her to submit. He also stepped back, so she doubled over. She gasped from the pain he had inflicted. It felt as if someone was holding a red-hot iron to her face.

Then he stepped forward, so that he was standing above her. Panicking, she grabbed the first thing she saw and launched it at him as hard as she could.

Garris was met with a chamber pot crashing into his face, spilling vomit all over him. He yelled in rage, but was blinded enough that he didn't see Jack tear out of the room as fast as she could.

Alvar, unable to sleep, was pacing up and down the hallway outside his and Everly's room. He was still dressed in his heavy black cotton shirt with the soft leather pants. He wanted to just go ahead and get out of this palace. But Garris might not be too keen on his guests leaving in the middle of the night.

When he reached one end of the hall, the warrior could still hear sounds of drunken revelry from the banquet hall. Smiling wryly, he turned and almost crashed into Jack, who was sprinting towards him dressed in an embarrassingly revealing nightgown. As it was, in her weakened state, she tripped and went sprawling. On instinct, Alvar caught her.

"Garris!" she cried, looking into Alvar's eyes. Tears were coming from the corners of her eyes, and she was sweating and shaking. "He…he tried to…" A violent tremor rendered her silent but Alvar could gather her meaning. He hoped she didn't start going into shock. Even he would feel bad for having to slap her while she was in this state.

"Jacqueline," he said, "Go into the room with Everly. Your pack is in there. Change into the men's clothes that you have. We will get out of here."

She nodded, and slipped into the room he indicated. When he had closed the door behind her, she had a brief moment of panic where she thought he would lock her and Everly in here and just keep them prisoner until Garris came to collect her. But, she figured, she would much rather face Garris in her men's clothing than in the stupid nightgown. So she woke her friend and explained that Alvar was going to get them out. Sleepily, Everly rolled out of the bed and complied.

When both of them were dressed, Alvar came back into the room. He went and dug in his own pack, pulling out two newsboy caps. He tossed one to each of the women.

"Shakespeare," he said simply, "For disguise."

Everly placed hers on her head, and Jack nearly laughed. She didn't look like a boy from up close, but perhaps from a distance, the hat would cover the women's long hair and they could pass as male.

Then the three of them ran, as quietly as possible. Alvar went first, short sword drawn to clear the path. The two women stayed together behind him. They had just reached the passage that lead to the stables when they heard the sound of soldiers approaching. Garris had sounded an alarm. Still, the stables were silent. No one had thought to check there yet.

As quickly as possible, Lincus and Excalibur were saddled. This time, no one was bound to anyone except Lincus to Excalibur so that the new horse could follow Alvar's stallion. The warrior noticed Jack's tremors and saw she was in no shape to ride. So he hoisted her onto Excalibur, Everly onto Lincus (while instructing her on how to hold on while they galloped), then swung himself up behind Jack. Then they galloped off into the freezing night.

There was no talking as night drew to a close and the morning sun began to appear, its beams spreading gaily over the earth. It was very cold, but Alvar saw to it that he and the women were clothed enough to stay warm until the sun came up entirely. Everly had a cloak covering her clothes. She had fallen asleep atop Lincus' back, but the good horse stayed close to Excalibur and never strayed off path.

Jack hadn't been able to sleep until several hours had passed. She shivered constantly, from sheer terror, and while she didn't have a cloak, Alvar was wearing one, and he wrapped it around her, letting her stay warm with his body heat as well as the cloak. He had thought, when first putting his arms around her to warm her, that she would object and fight, but she was too tired and afraid to fight, and to the warrior's shock, she snuggled up against him. Presently, she had turned her head and nuzzled her face into his chest, falling asleep almost automatically after that.

The sun was shining high overhead when Everly woke up and sat up with a start, finding that she was lying flat on her horse's neck.

"Good morning," Alvar yawned, completely exhausted.

"Hello," Everly said uncertainly. "What happened?"

"We left the home of our dear Lord Garris," Alvar said, frowning when Jack shifted against him, pressing more firmly against him for warmth.

"You saved her, didn't you?" Everly asked, eyes widening when she saw Jack lying back so comfortably against Alvar.

"Did I now?" Alvar snorted.

"Where are we?" Jack's sleepy voice asked as she slowly opened her eyes and blinked several times.

"On our way to safety," Everly said gently.

"Oh," Jack whispered and then shifted, trying to sit up and figure out where exactly she was. When she realized that she was pressing against Alvar, and not only that, but she was snuggling against him, she sat up bolt upright with a gasp and glanced down to see his hands wrapped around her. She bit her lip fiercely and then closed her eyes, ignoring the urge to fight him off.

"Did you sleep well?" Alvar asked with a grumble. "Because I certainly didn't."

"What happened to Garris?" Jack asked worriedly.

"I don't know. I wanted to ask you that," Alvar said. "You must have done something fierce to come running to me, and in such clothing, too."

"That nightgown wasn't my choice," Jack frowned.

"Did you have to put it on?"

Alvar was surprised when Jack didn't say anything. He had hoped that she would retort back, would show some spirit after her traumatic evening, but she didn't argue. Instead, she let her shoulders slump, almost in defeat, and sat back slightly, not leaning so far forward on Excalibur to avoid Alvar's hands. Alvar's eyebrow arched in curiosity, and he looked to Everly, as though hoping to get an answer from her. With a look of mischief, Alvar slid his hands back slightly, so that instead of hugging Jack, they were resting on her stomach, pulling her back more tightly to him.

The woman didn't fight.

"Isn't now about the time when you should be fighting?" Alvar asked her, resting his chin on her shoulder, trying to spark some sort of fire.

"Why should I fight?" Jack asked tiredly. "You did save my life. I changed hands from Garris to you."

"And on top of that, you were in such a hurry, you made me forget about my pay," Alvar snorted.

"I'm sorry. I can pay you back with the money at my house."

"What?" Alvar and Everly both asked at the same time.

"You did save me," Jack said quietly. "And I have the means to repay you, if that's truly what you wish. I just need to get back to my home in the woods."

"You aren't going back there with the state Bendel is in. Before we make any more advancements with anything, we're going somewhere safe to get rest and recover," Alvar frowned. "We have a whole day's journey before us, so get comfortable. It's going to be a long ride."


	12. Alvar the Hero

**Chapter Eleven: Alvar the Hero**

A whole day's worth of riding passed, and Alvar and the two women found themselves riding into the night, as well. Close to midnight, Alvar stopped the horses, for the tenth time during the journey, and had the women get off. He also slid off Excalibur and then informed the women that they were to make beds for themselves on the ground and get some sleep. The horses needed to relax, and so did they. Everly and Jack found some thick, soft moss, and they lay down on that, quickly falling asleep. Alvar didn't like to sleep while journeying, especially not with an infuriated lord and his posse after them, but he forced himself to sleep for a little over an hour before he woke up and began the travel again.

The sun was well risen in the sky when the weary riders found themselves in a thick wood, seemingly lost.

"Do you know where we're going?" Everly asked, blinking to stop herself from falling asleep again.

"Of course," Alvar answered flatly, more exhausted than the women were.

He rode Excalibur through a great tangled mess of vines, rode him alongside a creek, and then stopped the stallion beneath a large alcove full of grapes.

"Here we are," he said, pointing ahead.

Before them lay a beautiful stone path, and on both sides of that path were humble, comfortable homes. The path led as far as anyone could see, and surrounding the homes were beautiful willow trees and a friendly stream, promising fresh, cold water.

"Where is here?" Everly asked as the horses trotted onto the path and through the village.

Alvar may have said something, but no one heard him, for quite suddenly, one of the house doors slammed open, and a lovely, plump woman sprang outside, ringing her hands in her apron and shouting at the top of her lungs.

"Sir Alvar is home! Sir Alvar is back!"

Every door in every house opened, and out rushed masses of people and hundreds of questions. Alvar tried to answer everyone, but found that it was just simpler to tell the excited people that he would be visiting home for a short while and then he would be off again. The people didn't leave him alone with those answers, but escorted him through the village, over the creek, across a lush field full of apple trees and sheep, and straight towards an exquisite little home covered with beautiful flowers.

The door to the home opened, and out stepped an older woman with hair white as snow and a very kind disposition.

"Alvar!" she cried, dropping a basket of apples and rushing towards Excalibur. "You're home!"

The people of the village echoed her cries, all shouting excitedly and dancing about the warrior as he dismounted Excalibur and opened his arms to embrace his mother.

"Hello Mother," he said sleepily, letting her nearly choke him in her embrace.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're back! It's been too long my son! And who is this?" His mother inquired, looking up to see Jack sitting astride Excalibur.

"Mother, this is the Lady Jacqueline. Jacqueline, this is my Mother, Abigail."

He offered his hand to Jack and submissively, she took it and slid off the horse. She curtsied prettily and then said quietly, "Hello, Miss Abigail."

"I've heard much about you, my dear!" Abigail cried, clapping her hands together and then smiling gently when Alvar shot her a warning look. "How pretty you are indeed! Quite the long journey you must have had, and just as beautiful as I've heard you described! How kind of you to visit us!"

"I am indebted to your son," Jack said weakly, nearly asleep from the journey and her wild emotions.

"Aren't all the women?" one of the townsmen laughed, and everyone around him cheered.

"This other young woman," Alvar said, pulling the attention off of Jack and turning it to Everly, "Is Lady Everly. She has come a long way as well."

Everly took his offered hand and slid off Lincus' back.

"Hello," she said shyly.

"Alvar, you're just constantly collecting the gorgeous women, aren't you?" Abigail teased, enveloping Everly in a warm hug. "And all of you are exhausted! My dear friends," she addressed the crowd, "I suggest a celebration dance sometime later, in honor of my son's return and his guests. For the time being, though, I do believe they need some rest."

The townspeople understood her meaning and left, leaving Alvar and the ladies with his mother.

"I'll take care of the horses, Alvar. Show these ladies to a room and get some rest. Lady Everly can be given our one guest room, and Lady Jacqueline is, of course, welcome to share your – "

"We aren't married, Mother," Alvar said impatiently.

"Oh, dear me, yes, well, she can share the room with Lady Everly then."

"I can't let you get the horses, Mother. They're in need of a good grooming and some good rest," Alvar said, moving to take the horses from her.

"Uncle Albert and I will take care of them, Alvar. Go get some sleep. That's an order," Abigail said firmly, and Alvar sighed and nodded.

"Come along," he said, leading Jack and Everly into the house.

It was a very humble building, with the first floor accommodating a kitchen, small sitting area, dining area, and one bedroom. The second floor was composed of two bedrooms, both looking out onto a great field full of flowers and cattle.

"This will be your room," Alvar said, waving his hand to one of the rooms. "There are two beds in there that I'm sure you'll put to good use. And don't take my mother's high thoughts of you too much to heart, Jacqueline," he said, a familiar glint in his eye. "I don't need you getting flattered by her assuming we're married."

He had hoped to spurn some cold remark from her, but over the past day, Jack had been strangely submissive and quiet. She hadn't argued with him once, hadn't once questioned him, and it was bothering him greatly. He didn't like to see her to sedate and calm. He preferred to see that spark in her eyes, but since he had rescued her, she had treated him with the utmost respect, almost like another master, and it bothered him to no end.

"Thank you, Alvar," Jack said quietly, walking into the room with Everly.

Alvar turned away from their room and went to his own, the smallest room in the house, but just right for him. He immediately collapsed on his bed and fell instantly to sleep, sprawled out and stretched comfortably. In the other room, Everly and Jack followed suit.

Neither woman woke up until the morning of the next day. The past couple of weeks had been difficult and trying and both of them needed their sleep.

Everly woke up first, and she went downstairs to find a plate full of warm food waiting for her on the kitchen table. She ate quickly and then walked outside, wanting to view her new surroundings.

The place was beautiful. The grass was lush and green everywhere, the pastures were full of wild flowers and were closed in with perfect white fences, and the sky was a brilliant blue and friendly. Everly found Miss Abigail picking apples from a tree, and the older woman immediately employed the girl's help.

Abigail was the most wonderful woman Everly had ever met. She taught the young princess about every bird that came into view, about every flower that colored the ground, and about every wonderful part of her farm. She showed Everly the sheep, let her hold the little lambs, encouraged her to help feed chickens, and laughed with her when the ducks tried to crowd her for bread crumbs. Abigail was exactly the mother Everly had never had. Victoria had been harsh and unmerciful, but Abigail had love to spare.

Children from the town joined them on their excursion across the beautiful farm, giggling and laughing, tugging at the sleeves of Everly's dress and hugging her nonstop. She hadn't had much experience with children, but she instantly fell in love with them and completely let herself be at peace.

Alvar wasn't seen anywhere, and Abigail explained that he was out herding cows for milking. Half an hour into her time with Everly, she brought the girl into a small, pleasant barn just in time to catch sight of Alvar tying a cow's lead rope to a post and kneeling at her side.

This was a side of Alvar Everly never thought she would see. He was shirtless again, dressed in leather boots, soft suede leather pants, and a hat that looked suspiciously like a cowboy hat from the United States. His back was turned to hers, showing strong muscles in his shoulders and arms, and he didn't acknowledge her as he placed a bucket beneath the cow and proceeded to milk her.

"Good morning, Alvar," Abigail said, walking over to her son and wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"Good morning, Mother," Alvar acknowledged her. "I see you have my little princess with you."

"How did you find these precious girls?" Abigail asked, hugging Everly.

"Mm…Everly I just chanced upon. Jacqueline, well…"

"She took a bit of a chase, but you succeeded," Abigail beamed.

"Mother, really."

"Would you perhaps show Everly how to milk Lana?" Abigail asked, changing the subject. "I do believe it would do her some good to learn."

"Certainly," Alvar said, gesturing to an overturned bucket beside him. "Have a seat, Everly."

He proceeded to show her how to milk the cow and then gave her a chance, chuckling when she let out a squeal of delight when she was successful. He didn't speak much, but let the young woman enjoy herself, petting the cow and treating her with complete grace and gentleness.

When the milking was over, Alvar, Abigail, and Everly went back into the house to find Jack coming down the stairs, a hand pressed against her forehead.

"She lives," Alvar said curtly, sitting down at the kitchen table as his mother moved about to get him and Jack some food.

"Did you sleep well?" Everly asked her friend with a smile.

"I'm afraid I'm still really tired," Jack said groggily. "And I have a searing headache, but I'll be fine."

"No wonder you've been acting so ridiculous," Alvar said coolly, sitting back with a mug of coffee. "You must have been hit in the head somewhere along the way. That would explain the sudden insanity."

"Really now, Alvar," Abigail scolded, putting a plate on the table for Jack. "You should be pulling her chair out for her."

"She didn't appreciate it last time I tried," Alvar said coldly.

Jack blinked a couple of times, and Alvar sighed as he stood up and pulled her chair out for her. She then sat down, again, without complaint or retort, and let him push her in.

"You really were hit in the head!" Everly exclaimed, catching sight of the blue bruise on Jack's face.

"So much for keeping you in mint condition," Alvar grumbled.

"What happened, child?" Abigail asked, giving her son a plate of food.

"I was hit," Jack said quietly.

"Lord Garris does have an interesting way with his servants," Alvar commented.

"A man hit you?" Abigail gasped. "Alvar, please explain where you were!"

"Mother, let's just stay off that particular subject, please. I'm still debating over bringing her back to where she came from."

"Please don't," Jack pleaded softly. "I'll do what you want, just don't send me back."

"Of course he won't," Abigail crooned, pressing a damp towel to the woman's sore face. "Why would he?"

"Would you please explain to me why you're being so submissive? I didn't rescue you so you could go limp on me," Alvar said, leaning towards Jack.

"Why did you rescue her?" Everly asked.

For once in his life, Alvar didn't have an answer.

Over a week passed, and in that time, Everly learned so much more about being a gentlewoman, a true lady. Abigail was a wonderful instructor, training the princess without the girl even noticing it. She taught the young woman how to plan and make meals, how to feed and care for the animals on a farm, and how to harvest fruits and vegetables. The village people were planning a celebration dance, in honor of Alvar's return, to be held ten days after the warrior arrived home, and Abigail insisted that Everly have a new dress for it. The wise older woman took Everly to the village, helped her pick out fabrics of her choosing, and then proceeded to teach Everly how to sew so that she could make her own dress just the way she liked it.

Everly enjoyed every bit of time she had with Alvar's mother, and she grew much closer to Jack, who was her roommate and learning companion. She could see the drastic change that had overcome Jack's behavior towards Alvar, and while it troubled her, as it did the warrior, Jack was completely herself with Everly.

Over the course of nine days, Jack lowered herself entirely to the position of a household servant. She helped Abigail clean and tend to the house, cooked meals, and cleaned whatever vegetables and fruits Abigail and Everly brought into the home. She tended to the dirty laundry, cleaning it and hanging it to dry, then folding the laundry and putting it away when it was finished.

Alvar tried his best to strike some fire into her. He didn't like her submission at all. He appreciated everything she did, but she was now too quiet, no longer matching his quips and humor. He tried to provoke her to defying him, tried to tease her into slipping and losing her temper, but he never succeeded, and it drove him to exasperation. When he was in a particularly foul mood, he would try to frighten her, telling her that if he really wanted a servant it would be for his own physical benefits, and if Jack didn't want to be that type of a servant, than she may as well stop with the servant act, but the woman took his defiance with calm and didn't waver in her submission.

"She is probably afraid you'll give her back to Garris," Abigail said one evening, sitting at the dining room table with Alvar and Everly and watching as Jack cleaned dishes in the kitchen.

"Why would I? I already rescued her. He'll be most put out with me," Alvar sighed, sitting back in his chair.

"Because she was promised to him. You know that, Alvar. Whether you rescued her or not, that betrothal cannot be extinguished until Garris calls it off or is killed."

"The least she can do is show a little fire, that way she'll at least be able to fight him off when he comes for her," Alvar grumbled.

"You really are concerned, aren't you?" Everly asked, an eyebrow arched. "You don't want her to get hurt."

Alvar, deciding that now was not the time for anyone to think him sympathetic, leaned forward on the table and gazed darkly into Everly's wide eyes.

"Your companion, my dear Everly, has a body that any man would want, and a soul that any ruffian would like to tarnish. I'd rather not see Garris taint such perfection."

He smiled, to Everly's complete discomfort, and continued.

"If the girl's to be harmed by anyone, after all the fight I've had to put up with from her, I'd say she should be harmed by me. I rather like having some power over her, and she amuses me with her constant escape attempts. Garris would fast destroy her spirit, therefore taking all the fun out of her. I'd rather be the one to do something like that. Need I continue?"

"No," Everly said quietly.

"Good. I'm glad."

"Alvar, were you planning on assisting with the preparations for tonight's celebration?" Abigail asked, mercifully changing the subject.

"Perhaps, after I give Everly a lesson on self defense," Alvar said, biting into a biscuit.

"What am I to learn today?" Everly asked excitedly.

"All about daggers. How to throw them, how to fight with them, etc. We'll start when I'm finished eating, so you need to get changed into breeches," Alvar instructed.

An hour later found Alvar and Everly in the barn, both dressed in breeches. Alvar had gone back to going shirtless, but Everly (to her secret disdain) was now accustomed to the sight and it didn't bother her much.

Alvar handed her a dagger and then steered her towards a large pile of hay in the corner of the barn.

"Your job today is to learn how to throw that dagger and get it right into the center of the hay bale," Alvar instructed, pulling out a dagger of his own and gesturing towards the red ring painted in a circle on the bale. "I want you to be able to hit that target from all angles and all distances. I've watched you throw food to the animals and play catch with the children. I know you can throw, and I want you to find a form of self-defense that you can fight well with. Let me demonstrate to you how to throw these daggers, and then I'll let you figure out the rest on your own."

He took Everly's dagger from her, drew it back, and then threw it, making it hit the dead center of the target.

"It's not that difficult," he informed, pulling the dagger out of the hay bale and handing it to Everly. "Try."

Everly took the dagger again and toyed with it in her hand, feeling its weight and getting familiar with the feel of metal in her hands. She then drew the weapon back and threw it, hitting the wall above the hay bale.

"Make it a smooth motion. Flow with it," Alvar said. "Let me show you."

He turned his body, Everly turning with him, and then threw the dagger. Jack had just stepped into the barn with a basket of bread, intent on offering some of it to the warrior and his student, and she let out a sharp gasp and jumped back when Alvar's dagger hit the wall directly next to her head.

"There. Soon enough you'll be able to hit anything," Alvar said, his eyes burning into Jack's as he spoke to Everly.

"You were going to hit her with that!" Everly shouted.

"If I had wanted to hit her, I would have," Alvar said coolly. "Jacqueline, get that dagger out of the wall."

Without a word, Jack put her basket down, grabbed hold of the dagger hilt, and then drew it out of the wall.

"Here," she said simply, holding it out to Alvar.

"No. Keep it. You and I are going to demonstrate how to battle for Everly. Everly, watch for a minute or so, and then go back to throwing those daggers."

"My lord," Jack spoke hastily. "I'm in a dress. I can't fight. And even if I could fight, I wouldn't. I don't wish to fight with you."

"I'm not giving you a choice," Alvar said, drawing his own dagger from the sheath on his forearm. "You will be meeting with Garris again, and if you have any desire to defend yourself from his dark desires, you'll learn how to fight in any type of clothing."

He turned his back to her and took Everly's arm, leading her to a corner of the barn where she would be safe.

"Why are you making her fight? She really doesn't want to," Everly questioned as he told her to stay put.

"Because," he said, dropping his voice so Jack couldn't hear. "She needs to stop with this submission. This is entirely out of her character, and it's going to get her killed. I want her to put her heart back into something, and if it's from getting hurt by me, then that's all the better. She'll be ready for Garris when next they meet."

He left Everly and came to a stand in front of Jack.

Jack's head was bowed, her face half covered by her hair, and she was twiddling with the dagger in her hands, uncertain. He could see the look of confusion on her face, and she didn't raise her head when she spoke again.

"You've saved my life. Why should I fight with you?"

"Because I'm considering handing you back to Garris, and I'd rather not have you come crawling back to me for help," Alvar said shortly.

Jack lifted her head quickly, complete terror in her eyes.

"You wouldn't send me back!"

"I don't have too many choices," Alvar sneered. "You belong to him. That's final. Now pretend I'm Garris and fight, for goodness' sake. The minute you submit yourself to him is the minute your sweet innocent life is over. Now start moving."

"But I'm not against you, I'm against him…"

Alvar let out a cry of rage and lunged at her, startling her, making her jump back in surprise. She raised her dagger just in time to protect her face from his blade. He brought his dagger crashing against hers and then shoved his face closer to her own, glaring into her eyes.

"I have absolutely no good intentions for you," he snarled. "You're nothing but a servant, so why should I have any respect?"

He spun away, and then turned back, slicing through the air, bringing his dagger sliding across the top of Jack's bruised cheek. She cried out and then raced away, running towards the door, only to find it closed.

Everly loved Jack dearly, but she knew that what Alvar was doing was for Jack's own good, and so she herself had closed the door. She wanted to see her friend enjoy life again, wanted to see her act like she always did, and if that required Jack to do battle with Alvar, then so be it. The warrior knew what he was doing. He was trying to anger Jack, trying to force her back into the way she was before.

Before Jack could turn the handle and get out of the barn, Alvar was there, his hand on the door, forcing it to stay closed. He swung his blade up, threatening to catch her in the stomach, but she grabbed her own dagger and intercepted, keeping his weapon away from her.

He was trying to scare her, trying to get some spirit out of her, and so, instead of trying to fight her again, he slammed his hands down on either side of her, trapping her in. She panicked and dropped to the floor, scurrying away from him. She then moved first, swinging her dagger at him, hoping to get his shoulder, but he blocked her again and shoved her back with his weight. She fell into a hay bale and then scrambled to her feet, tripping over her skirt in the process.

"Come on, Jacqueline!" Alvar snarled. "You aren't showing even the faintest touch of defense!"

"I don't want to fight you!" she exclaimed.

"Would you fight me if I was Garris?" Alvar demanded, stalking towards her, dagger poised to throw. "Or would you submit to him, too?"

"I can't fight him, just as I can't fight you! I haven't the strength!" Jack cried, dodging low as he threw the dagger at her and then procured another one.

"Don't give me any of that!" Alvar shouted. "You've got enough spirit to save yourself with if you'd just knock off this ridiculous depression of yours and get back to being the defiant woman you are!"

"You'll only send me back!"

"If you keep up this nonsense, I myself am going to hurt you like Garris was going to," Alvar snarled, closing in on her again. "I'm not your rescuer," he sneered. "I'm every inch a man, just like Garris, and I do have my struggles with acting appropriately. Right now I want you to fight, I want you to regain your spirit. Physically I may be stronger, but you avoided me for four years, so I'm not accepting that as your excuse. Now fight!"

"No," she said, holding her dagger still at her side. "I will not."

"Jack! Please!" Everly called from her corner. "You're acting just about as sissy as you can."

"There's no need for me to fight him," Jack frowned. "He already knows he can beat me."

"He doesn't want you slaving away for him, and he wants you to be able to defend yourself," Everly said, for once siding with Alvar.

"I don't need his help," Jack said. "Everyone knows that once I'm with Garris and you both are gone, I'm done for."

Alvar hissed between his teeth, and without warning, he lunged forward and tangled the fingers of his left hand in her hair. She cried out as he pulled her head to the side, showing her neck, and let his blade rest against her skin.

"You aren't stupid, Jacqueline," he snarled. "If someone had you stuck in this position, what would you do? What would you do?" he shouted.

She gasped, her neck hurting as he held her in that awkward position, and then she shoved his free hand away from her and brought her knee up, intending to catch him in the stomach. He was ready and caught her leg, pulling her towards him, making her fall hard to the floor. She shouted in anger as he landed on top of her, still keeping his dagger at her neck. Thinking fast, Jack pulled her dagger up, pressing the point against his stomach, and then grabbed his occupied hand and pulled it away from her neck. She slid out from under him, moving quickly just as he did, and then struggled to her feet. He got to his feet at the same time and brought his dagger across her shoulder, ripping the fabric of her shirt, showing her stitches. She lunged at him with an angry cry, slamming one fist against his chest as she flung her dagger at his throat. The force of her lunge sent Alvar falling back against the wall, stuck in between her and the wood.

"Stay off me!" she hissed, pressing her dagger firmly against the skin of his neck.

He looked angry for a moment, but then a mischievous sparkle appeared in his eyes and he nodded his head.

"Very good. That's what I wanted to see."

He caught her wrists in his hands and pushed them away from him, forcing her back as he stepped forward. She struggled to get her wrists out of his hold and glared up angrily at him as he pressed her against the barn door.

"You can't give up," he said, going back into instructor mode, speaking to both Jack and Everly at the same time. "The minute you give up, you're a goner. Keep fighting, and you'll make it."

He released Jack and then moved towards Everly.

"Back to throwing daggers," he said, coolly ignoring the fuming woman standing behind him.

"How can you be so arrogant?" Jack demanded in exasperation. "You treat me like a pawn and then throw me away to pick back up on a lesson!"

"What did you want me to do?" Alvar asked, watching Everly throw her dagger. "Hold you against the wall and kiss you until you're senseless?"

"Why…why…" Jack sputtered, her cheeks turning flaming red, and Everly just had to laugh. "Ah!" Jack said in exasperation, stamping her foot and then turning towards the barn door.

"I think it's about time we took those stitches out," Alvar said absently, helping Everly get a better hold on her dagger. "If you'll go in the kitchen, Jacqueline, I'll be there momentarily to help you."

"I don't want or need your help!" Jack hissed. "Your help would send me right over a cliff!"

"And I think we've got the old Jack back," Everly giggled, laughing even more as Alvar winked at her.

Jack stormed into the house, angry and frustrated, and then collapsed in a chair in the kitchen. The sleeve of her shirt was draping off her shoulder, from where Alvar had struck her, and she let her fingers dance across the stitches, wincing slightly at how tight her skin was.

"Jacqueline, shall I get you a drink? You look flushed," Abigail offered, stepping into the kitchen with a basket of flowers. She put the basket on the table and then smiled lovingly at the young woman.

"No thank you," Jack sighed.

"You seem exasperated. Is something the matter?" Abigail asked, sitting across from her.

"Your son is the most confusing man I've ever met," Jack sighed. "I don't know what he expects, or what he wants from me. He treats me like a child, flinging me about at his own pleasing, making me do things when I don't want to. Why does he treat me like a child? I may be significantly younger, but why? Do I act like a child?"

"It's because you have the innocence of one," Abigail said gently. "And when he first saw you, you were little more than a child."

"When he first saw me, I was fleeing from Garris," Jack sighed. "He didn't see much of me."

"That's not the first time, Jacqueline," Abigail said gently, getting up and stroking her fingers through the woman's long dark hair. "The first time he saw you was when you were fourteen. It was shortly after the death of your parents, and he attended one of the banquets your brother hosted."

"I don't remember him being there," Jack frowned.

"It's because he never introduced himself to you," Abigail said softly. "My son saw you there, so young and innocent, and he knew there was something special about you. Two full years went by, before you and your brother turned sixteen. It was then that Bendel began to go insane. Do you remember?"

"I do," Jack whispered. "It was shortly after our sixteenth birthday. The curse came on him quickly, without warning, and he began to be bitter and hating."

"On your sixteenth birthday, you had another banquet. It was the last you were to have at your own home," Abigail nodded. "Alvar was there, Jacqueline. He hadn't seen you in some time. When he came home the next day, I noticed there was a great change in my son."

"Why? What happened?"

"He saw you and knew he wanted you," Abigail said, braiding Jack's hair and then sitting down next to the woman and looking her in the eyes. "He watched you grow from fourteen to sixteen and saw you become such an innocent, pure woman, that he desired you. He wanted to dance with you, hold you, talk to you, but you were so young, and he knew he was too old for you. So instead of introducing himself, instead of becoming part of your life, he left you alone. He respected you, even as he does now."

"Respects me?" Jack laughed. "Miss Abigail, your son chased me down for Garris."

"Because he wanted to see you again, and that's the only way he knew how."

"He taunts me and mocks me to no end."

"To convince himself that he is still too old for you and that you could never want him. It's to hide his pain."

"And he certainly doesn't care for me in the way you're describing," Jack concluded.

"Jacqueline, Alvar hunted out your parents' murderers and killed them. He was employed by King Tristan to find those 'stars' responsible for the death of your parents, and he found that those stars were none other than witches. They deceived your brother into thinking they were stars in the hopes that he would destroy the rest of those heavenly beings. They put a curse on him that only began at sixteen, when he was man enough to be dangerous. Alvar saw you, so long ago, and knew that you were beautiful in ways that few women in this world are. And while you claim he no longer cares for you, he does, he just refuses to show it in ways that you would notice. He rescued you from Garris, leaving behind a large amount of money. And don't tell me it was on accident that he left it. He told me the other night that you were worth far more than that, and he'd leave all the money behind for you. He knows you have to go back to Garris, which is why he avoids getting close to you. It will only cause him more pain. He loves you, Jacqueline."

"I can't believe that," Jack whispered. "He hasn't shown me any of that. There have been our fleeting moments, I suppose, but never did I think he really cared."

"Have you given him reason to show anything? Have you shown him that you're not a child?"

"What if I don't want his affection?" Jack asked.

"Something tells me you do. Maybe it's the sparkle in your eyes when you talk about him. But look inside yourself, Jacqueline, and next time you're near him, think. Test your feelings. And don't let age destroy your thoughts."

Alvar arrived fifteen minutes later, and Jack watched him as he moved past her, grabbed a sharp knife from one of the kitchen drawers, and then pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. He didn't say anything, but pulled her sleeve a little lower and brought the knife to her first stitch.

He was silent as he slipped the knife beneath the thread and then brought it up, severing the knot. Jack cried in pain as the thread pulled through her skin, hurting her sensitive flesh. There were eight more stitches, and she bit her lip as Alvar concentrated on her wound and slit the next stitch.

His eyes drifted up to hers as he worked, gazing into her green orbs carefully, wondering what she was thinking. She took that time to study him as well, trying to believe everything Abigail had told her about this man. He loved her, did he? He certainly gave no indication of it.

His touch was strangely gentle, more so than usual, as he pulled out every stitch and tears of pain streamed down Jack's face. She didn't notice when he had finished taking the stitches out, for her eyes were squeezed shut and she was biting her lip fiercely.

Something soft stroked across her aching skin, and she turned her head to see Alvar's fingertips brushing across her shoulder, his eyes fixated to her wound. It wasn't bleeding, but he was gazing at it with strange curiosity. Jack couldn't find her voice to ask him what he was doing, but watched as he lowered his face to her wound, studying it still. She turned her head away, suddenly ashamed at her scar, ashamed at the way she had treated this man who seemed so intent on helping her and she had never noticed it. Another tear, one of sadness at how he must have felt, trickled from Jack's eye, but then the strangest thing happened.

She felt something gentle on her scar, something with the faintest, most beautiful touch that made her aching skin feel so much more painless. She turned her head to see Alvar moving his face away from her shoulder, and her eyes widened with confusion as his dark orbs once again met hers. He held her gaze for less than a minute, but it was enough to make the faintest flame spring up inside of her, and she knew that that touch had been just the faintest kiss, trying to hide so she wouldn't recognize it, wouldn't think anything of it.

"I do believe your shoulder will recover nicely," Alvar said, hiding under his gruffness again, smirking at her with amusement because of the dumbfounded expression on her face. "Whatever has you so surprised? Did you expect that not to hurt?"

"You…you…"

"The cat has your tongue again," Alvar chuckled, standing up and moving the fabric of her shirt to cover her shoulder. "And you may want to cover that up. You have a banquet to attend tonight, and you might not want to show that scar off."


	13. Afraid of Truth

**Chapter Twelve: Afraid of Truth **

By the time evening fell, there were torches and lanterns all over the square of the small village. It was almost as bright as daylight. There were lights in the trees and on poles, and beside fire lights there were magical white lights glowing cheerfully, though they had a habit of moving around. There was a band tuning its instruments to one side. The banquet was about to begin.

Everly and Jack were making their last preparations. Everly – who had sewn her own dress – was dressed in a deep bluish-purple dress that hung completely off her shoulders. The billowy sleeves were light since it was summer, but the skirt was full and bustled. Jack wore the green dress that Captain Shakespeare had given her, but this time her younger companion had helped her twist her hair into an elegant bun at the back of her head, allowing some curls to escape. Everly chose to let her hair tumble down her shoulders and back in its silky brown waves, only pinning the front back from her face. Neither girl wore jewelry, but Abigail assured them that it was scarce in this village so they needn't worry.

As soon as the sun vanished over the horizon, the music began and so did the dancing. For a moment, everything was lost in a whirlwind of color as everyone found his or her places. Everly found herself swept into Alvar's arms into a dance that he and Shakespeare had taught her. It was exhilarating, and she couldn't help but laugh with delight.

When she saw how much her friend was enjoying herself, Jack couldn't help but smile. She stood with Abigail to help prepare food and drinks for the soon-to-be tired dancers. Between songs, one friendly-looking man asked her to dance, but she politely declined. She wasn't one to dance with strangers.

As the initial rush declined, Alvar and Everly returned to where Abigail and Jack were standing. The princess's cheeks were flushed from happiness, which made Jack grin.

"If I may," Alvar said, smiling, "I would like to ask the most beautiful woman in the village to dance with me."

Jack gulped, knowing he was talking about her. Which was why she was surprised when he turned to his mother Abigail, holding out his hand.

"You young rascal," the older woman said playfully, and took her son's hand. She went to dance with him while Everly rested and took over her position with Jack.

"So what's it like?" The woman in green asked her younger companion to take her mind off of her own thoughts.

"What?" Everly asked.

"Knowing that these are your people. Since you are a princess, you have some sort of authority over them."

The younger woman frowned. "I guess I didn't think about it that way. It's hard to go all your life as middle class and then suddenly be thrust into royalty. It hasn't really settled yet." She paused as a nightingale fluttered down towards her from a tree. When she held out her hand, the bird perched on it, chirping a friendly greeting. "Is it always like this?" Everly asked Jack suddenly. "With the animals? Do they treat all royalty this way?"

"It must be your star blood," her friend answered thoughtfully. "Because to my knowledge animals are attracted to Queen Yvaine, yet scurry off as soon as King Tristan shows his face." Then she carefully handed Everly some cherries from the stacks of food in front of her.

The nightingale, when Everly presented the food to it, cocked its head curiously, and chirped at her again.

"It's all right," she told it, "They're good to eat."

He considered her for a second, and then pushed his beak into one of the berries, eating heartily.

The women just shrugged at each other.

After another few minutes, the music slowed. Abigail rejoined Everly and Jack, and greeted the nightingale as if it was another person. Nervously, it chirped to Everly again and then fluttered back to wherever it had come from.

"Well I say," Abigail said, "Do you always entertain the local wildlife like that?"

Everly smiled. "Animals just come to me," she said truthfully.

Alvar wandered over presently. He went straight to Jack and leaned on his elbow towards her on the table. She started, just realizing that Abigail had cut his hair short. It was much neater.

"Dearest Jack," he said, grinning, "There are rumors about the dance floor that you can't dance."

Forgetting herself, Jack retorted, "Of course I can dance!"

The warrior shook his head. "You've refused an invitation to dance. The only possible reason to do that here is because one cannot dance."

Jack thought back to the friendly man who had invited her to dance earlier and grimaced. This must have been why no one else had asked her. "I _can_ dance," she said again.

"Of course you can," Alvar said nonchalantly, with a now bored expression on his face. Then he held out his hand. "But you'll have to prove it."

The woman blushed furiously, realizing what he'd led her to. Still, she couldn't back down now. That would be letting him win.

"All right, come on," she said, and took his hand and walked briskly to the center of the dance floor, nearly dragging him behind her, to his amusement.

And just because it was Jack's luck, the next song was a slow four-beat that called for couples to step together and spin in slow circles. She wondered if Alvar had planned this, and figured that he must have. However, she proudly put her hands in their proper places, one on his shoulder and one in his hand, and began the steps she knew so well.

She was transported back to a time when she and her twin brother were younger, trying to manage their estate without their parents in the early years after their death. An older relative – whom Bendel had kicked out once the curse set in – had come to care for them, and had taught them both how to dance. This simple step was the first they had learned, as a brother and sister couple. Relaxing into the dance, Jack closed her eyes. It had always helped her concentrate.

Back at the table, Everly had taken Jack's place serving food with Abigail. But the sight before them absorbed both women, and no one bothered them. They were too busy watching Alvar and Jack dancing.

"Look at how well they fit together," Abigail sighed wistfully.

Everly, who was getting over her misgiving about Alvar's age, had to agree.

Jack was startled when she noticed that the warrior she danced with had come closer. His cheek was resting against the side of her head, their bodies so close that she could feel his body heat. She blushed, and tried to pull back, but his hold was firm. If she could have seen his face, she would have seen that his eyes were closed and his face was completely relaxed and calm. Swallowing hard, she forced herself to relax as well.

As if he noticed her submission, Alvar pulled back. Surprising herself, Jack heard a noise of protest pull itself from her throat.

The warrior smiled, and leaned his forehead against hers. Both pairs of eyes closed this time, and both pairs of feet were almost completely still. There was so much Jack wanted to say in that moment, but there was no way to say it, no words for it. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she felt she had to swallow to keep it from pounding its way on up out of her throat.

Everly and Abigail, had they been sitting, would have been on the edges of their seats. As it was, the princess was biting her nails in an un-royalty-ish fashion. Both women let out gasps, however, when suddenly Jack broke from Alvar and walked quickly – Everly could tell she was trying not to run – towards Abigail's house.

"Well, that was interesting," Abigail said, blinking.

The young princess beside her sighed. "I'll talk to her. She's probably tired."

"All right, dear," Alvar's mother said warmly, turning to intercept her son, who was walking towards them, a dazed and hurt expression on his face.

Not wanting to face Alvar's pain, Everly fairly ran towards the house. Once she got past the main crowd, no one noticed her passing. She cursed the dress she was wearing several times. It just wasn't suited to running.

She found Jack in the room they had shared, furiously darting about the room packing.

"If we're leaving, you need to give me a reason," Everly sighed.

Jack paused. "You could stay here."

"But I won't."

"Fine. Get changed into your men's clothing then, and your hat. We're going to see my brother." With that, she turned away from Everly. The younger girl could see the red tips of her friend's ears though, and suspected that this sudden running had more to do with Alvar than with her brother. Still, she didn't question Jack.

Both girls dressed in men's clothing and the newsy hats and packed their belongings as fast as they could. Covered by darkness and the noise of the party still going on outside, they stole down to the barn where the horses were kept. The animals perked up at Everly's approach, but the women were only there for Lincus. They didn't have the heart to take Excalibur from his owner, but Lincus had taken a great liking to Everly, and since they had bought him at Nighthelm neither girl felt as bad about taking him. The gelding seemed excited to help them, but Excalibur whinnied worriedly after them.

Not waiting to see if he had given them away, Jack attached the packs to Lincus's saddle, swung herself onto his back and helped Everly up behind her, and the girls galloped away.

It was early morning before they stopped to rest. The horse was sweating profusely, even though it had been a cool night, and tripping over his own feet. Jack rubbed him down with a rag while Everly set up blankets for sleeping. They had set up under the drooping branches of a large tree, so the light was dim and they would be protected from sight. The sun had just left the horizon behind when horse and humans slept.

Back at Alvar's farm, the great warrior was brushing Excalibur's gorgeous coat, making it shine in the morning sunlight. He was deep in thought, so much so that he never heard his mother come up behind him and lean on one of the willow trees.

Abigail knew her son well. The great stallion's coat was already nearly glittering in the sunlight, so there was no reason for Alvar to be brushing him so heartily. She also knew that her son had been watching the Lady Jacqueline ever since he first set eyes on her. The wise mother understood that the look she had seen on Alvar's face when he danced with the young woman had been an expression she had never before seen on him. He had radiated contentment and deep desire. He didn't have some fickle emotions that were as fleeting and wild as one of the town colts. No, Alvar had all the emotions of a man, and he concealed them well…except from his mother.

"Alvar, why did you let her go?"

A muscle twitched in the back of Alvar's neck, the only indication that Abigail had taken him by surprise.

"Who?"

"Lady Jacqueline."

"I didn't _let_ her go. She ran."

"And yet you haven't gone after her. I saw you at the dance, Alvar. I know the way you held her wasn't the way you've held other partners. You two mold together perfectly. You are each other's match. Why didn't you chase her down and bring her back?"

"Mother," Alvar sighed, turning to face the woman. "She left of her own accord. I…I scared her."

"I don't think it was you who scared her."

"I've scared her at least three times now," Alvar frowned. "There is no reason why she shouldn't run from me, when given the chance. I moved too quickly the other night and frightened her. I knew she had trust issues, I knew I was pushing things too far too fast and I scared her away. I don't deserve her. She is much better off leaving me as she did. Naturally, that woman had to take my horse along with her." He snorted playfully, but his acting did little to conceal the pain Abigail heard in his voice. "She couldn't leave without some sort of defiance."

"She has slipped out of your vision, out of your hold, several times before, Alvar, but never has she escaped from your life," Abigail said softly, putting her hand on his shoulder. "She wasn't afraid of you."

"The look of panic on her face indicated otherwise," Alvar said gruffly, untying Excalibur's lead rope from one of the willow's limbs.

"She was afraid of herself, my son. She felt something last night, something she hadn't felt before, and she didn't know what to do about it. What is Jacqueline's first reaction when things happen that she can't control? You've watched her for years. What is it she always does when she's afraid?"

"She draws a sword and brings it slashing across a man's chest," Alvar said, gesturing to the wound on his chest.

"She runs, Alvar, then she fights. And every time she's run from you, you've caught her, then you've both fought, and she ends up getting closer to you every time. She needs you, and you need her. Go after her. You know where she went."

"How do I know where she went?" Alvar said, resting his elbows on Excalibur's back and looking across at his mother.

"You have an uncanny ability to know where people go," Abigail smiled.

"And why exactly should I go after her?" Alvar asked, an eyebrow arched. "Of what benefit has she been to me? She runs away from every move I make."

"Because you love her," Abigail said firmly.

"How should I go about courting someone who has no interest in me?"

"Gently, like when you trained Excalibur," Abigail said, fondly patting the stallion's neck. "He was wild and afraid, and he had severe trust issues. He was slightly abused when we found him running like a mad horse on our property. You took him in, cared for his needs, and then sought to build up a relationship. Show Jacqueline you want to take care of her. Take care of her kindly, and then, when you've built up that trust, seek for more. Like you did for Excalibur, you have gone to Jacqueline, always meeting her, tending to her needs. Keep doing that, gently, and instead of seeking her out, let her seek you. Excalibur began to seek your attention, to crave your affection. It's time you gave Jack that opportunity. Care for her, but let her come to you to further things."

"You know, Mother, you are a very wise woman," Alvar smiled, hugging her close. "And you have a woman's wiliness."

"Go after Jacqueline, you scoundrel," Abigail laughed, hugging her son tightly in return. "Don't hunt after her as a warrior, or even as a lover, but as someone who has true concerns for her. She'll see your sincerity and she'll be drawn to it. Just like she's a wild horse, treat her as though you want nothing else in return. She'll be drawn to you, just like every other woman."

Alvar chuckled and then took Excalibur's halter off the horse.

"How about you and I go and get provisions ready for my journey, ay? And pack plenty of rope. I may need to bind and gag her in order to bring her back."

Abigail laughed and took her son's hand as he led her back to the house.

Jack awoke with a start in the middle of the afternoon. A unicorn had visited her dreams again, this time with the information that some stores of ruby illuminite were missing from a mine near it's territory. Illuminite is a mineral found scarcely anywhere in Stormhold, and nowhere in our world. Different kinds of it – sapphire illuminite and emerald illuminite, for example – have different uses. Ruby illuminite travels great distances when thrown, and gravity has almost no affect on the pieces once thrown. Jack had long been suspecting that Bendel was using stones of this nature to bring down the stars he murdered, but now her suspicions were all but confirmed.

They had to hurry, before he killed another of Everly's kin.

As soon as possible, the women and Lincus were off again. This time, in order to save Lincus, they kept him at a brisk trot for most of the journey, with nearly half-hour walks every once in a while. When they walked, the girls would get off of his back. It was dangerous for him to be as tired as they had worn him the night before, and the last thing they wanted was for him to injure or kill himself trying to keep going for Everly.

They didn't travel roads. Jack was paranoid that someone would recognize them. But she knew the way home, and when she was unsure, Everly discovered she had the uncanny ability to point the way. This perplexed both of them, but they didn't dwell on it. They spoke very little, both absorbed in their own thoughts.

This time when they stopped, it was about midnight.

"There is no way we are going near that place in the dark," Jack told Everly when they were bedded down and Lincus (who was in much better shape than he had been the night before) was taken care of, "And it will take us a good few hours of travel to get there tomorrow. I want to get there sometime in the morning."

"Why?"

Jack laughed harshly. "Because that's when it's safest. The drunks have all either gone home or are still passed out in our great hall. And if they do wake up, they are so hung-over that they aren't much of a threat."

Everly remained silent. Jack waited for her to go to sleep before she dared shut her eyes.

True to Jack's desires, they arrived at the place that had been her home in the grey early morning. As soon as he got a whiff of the air that came from the place, Lincus's head shot up and he snorted nervously. Jack patted him encouragingly, and he slowly walked forward.

"We'll have to leave him in the stable," Jack said to Everly.

The princess gulped, suddenly as nervous as the horse. Here she was, visiting the home of the man who had murdered – by last count – almost fifty of her family members, and had at their last meeting nearly tried to take advantage of her small body. Of course, whatever made him the sort of man who would do such a thing had worn off and left him a gentleman at least temporarily, but Everly still didn't trust him. What would happen if she and Jack were caught? She shuddered to think.

Lincus was placed in the stable, and the women entered the house from the side door. It was the sort of house that could be described as a quaint country house, or as a manor, for it had qualities of both. Bendel's house wasn't nearly as large or imposing as Garris's palace, but he had far more land. It had many rooms but they all branched from one main hallway.

It was into this hallway that the two women crept. There was no one in the house as far as they could tell. No horses were in the stables besides Bendel's, and there was no one in the great hall. The house was totally silent.

They stopped at the first room they came to. Jack remembered it as a sort of reception room where guests had been invited for tea when she and Bendel were children. But her twin brother had since converted it into a sort of armory. She moved on.

Everly was about to follow her when something caught her eye. She walked over to a rack of swords on one wall, towards the one that had glittered in the light from the open doorway. It was shorter than the rest, but the blade was nearly five inches in width. Oriental designs were carved into the blade, and the hilt was made of black leather. There was a matching sheath beneath it, which had the same markings embossed on the black leather in silver. The princess didn't have much experience with weapons, but she could see that this was a rare and beautiful weapon.

"Amazing, isn't it?" a voice said behind her, and Everly jumped and whirled.

Bendel had come up behind her, while she had been studying the oriental sword.

"I bought it from a trader at the Wall market," he continued, coming to stand next to her so he could run a finger lovingly down the flat of the blade. Then he turned and smiled at her. "Hello" he said, "I didn't recognize you before." Abruptly, his face changed. The icy edge had crept into his blue eyes and when he turned them on Everly she felt frozen to the bone. "You're the one who wasn't so appreciative of my previous advances."

Suddenly terrified, Everly stayed frozen to the spot as he reached up and slid the newsy cap off of her head. Her braid, which had previously been twisted inside the hat, fell down her back. Smiling, Bendel took it in his hand.

Without thinking, Everly slipped to the side and took the oriental sword from the wall, nearly dropping it. It was much heavier than the daggers she was used to using. But she took it in both hands and raised it so it pointed at the man in front of her.

He laughed. "Silly girl," he said, raising his hands as if in surrender. But before she knew what was happening, he too had retrieved a sword from the wall and brought it crashing down on Everly's blade.

His blow was so hard that her arms felt as if they had been jarred from their sockets. She held onto her sword as best she could, but he was already swinging for another blow. Surprising herself, she moved to the side and felt his blade slice a few hairs from the bottom of her braid. Going back to the dagger training she'd had with Alvar, she brought the sword into a more defensive position in front of her, just in time for another jarring blow from Bendel.

"Everly!" Jack's voice suddenly came from the hallway. She had heard the fighting and was running to help her friend. "Everly! What –?" She had seen her brother, frozen with his sword raised to strike Everly again.

About five expressions crossed Bendel's face in five seconds, and both girls could see them. First was a spark of happiness, replaced by a mask of rage, then suspicion, then pain, and finally a sneer of contempt.

"My dear sister," he said, casually lowering his blade to knock Everly's from her hands. "So nice of you to come see me. So tell me, how is your new master? I trust he's complied to my wishes."

Jack's face was contorted with pain as she heard this crueler version of her brother speak to her. Still, she answered as if speaking to him before his curse.

"I ran away, Bendel." She said calmly. "He would have mistreated me, as you know. This is Everly, my friend. We're in it together."

The look in Bendel's eyes flickered. He blinked several times, trying to make up his mind about something. He shook his head, then seemed to come to a decision.

"Of course you are welcome to stay here with me," he said, spreading his arms in mock welcome. "Until your escorts come after you, of course." He took them both by the arm so that he walked between them. They had no choice but to follow him. Both women were scared, not knowing what his curse would prompt him to do or how often it had control of him. All they could do was wait and watch.

He took them to where Jack had stayed when she and Bendel were children. Everly glimpsed dusty furniture, as if nothing in there had been touched for years, but she lost her view as Jack was thrown into the room and the door was shut. Bendel locked it from the outside.

Everly was horrorstruck. She was now alone with this man of multiple personalities, and Jack wasn't here to protect her! Alvar wasn't either, and from the way they had left there was almost no chance of his turning up to rescue them. Her heart jumped to her mouth when Bendel pulled her closer to himself.

He opened his mouth to say something, but then his expression changed. Once again, the ice left his eyes and he was the gentleman that had taken her back to her room after giving her a dreadful fright. He loosened his hold on her and said, "Those rooms across the hall from Jack's are yours to use while you're here, as long as you don't try to leave the house without me. Here," and he gave her the key to her room.

They had been there for four days. Even though Bendel had given her keys to her own chambers, he had adopted Everly as a sort of pet – since his curse side ordered him to take her as his own while his honorable side refused to let him – and kept her at his side almost constantly. He even made her sleep in his room, though he allowed her a pallet on the floor. Still, there was always the invitation that his bed would be warmer than the floor.

Two nights out of three, Everly went to sleep on her pallet in the floor only to wake up in the bed in the room that he had given her. At first she had been confused, but then realized that during a rare moment when his curse didn't control him he had carried her back here. She knew it must have been him.

Jack stayed in her room. She was locked in, only allowed out for meals with Bendel and Everly. It was driving her stir-crazy, but there was no way she could escape. She had hoped that by coming here she could find out some way to end his curse, or some way to at least stop him killing all the stars in the sky. But she was stuck.

Everly wanted to help her friend, but she didn't know how. Bendel had hidden all of anything she possessed that resembled a weapon and very rarely allowed her to leave his sight. Often, he made her walk arm in arm with him. It was almost impossible to leave him.

They were sitting at the evening meal at the end of the fourth day. Bendel sat at the head of the table, with Everly to his left in the seat of the lady of the house. Jack was on the far side of Everly, only slightly annoyed that her friend sat in the position that was rightfully hers. Everly couldn't help it.

"My dear," Bendel said to Everly, ignoring his twin sister completely, "I have a surprise for you tonight."

Both women stiffened.

He rolled his eyes. "None of that nonsense. Everly, I would like to take you on a hunt tonight. The weather is promising."

The two women knew exactly what kind of hunt he meant. The younger bit her lip and looked to her companion. Or she tried. Bendel caught her chin and turned her to face him. She stared straight into his blue eyes, which were suddenly so close to hers that she could feel his curly dark blonde hair brushing her forehead. Temporarily, she was lost. Then Jack squeezed her hand encouragingly, bringing her back to earth.

"Alright," she breathed.

Bendel smiled, a rare look of genuine happiness on his face, and moved away.

After the meal, Bendel accompanied Everly to her quarters and waited outside her door while she changed into breeches and the shirt she had stolen from Alvar so long ago. They were more conducive to the riding she and Bendel would be doing. Pulling the clothes on, she felt a wave of sadness. They made her think of the warrior she and Jack had left, who had become much more of a father figure to her than Humphrey had ever been. Come to think about it, Alvar was old enough to be her father! She missed him, and wished Jack hadn't wanted to run from him.

With a growing sense of dread, she opened the door to find Bendel still waiting for her. She tried to smile at him, but it was a struggle to take his arm. She didn't know what to do about this murderous hunt they were going on.

Jack's brother may have seemed friendly to Everly, but he certainly didn't trust her. He took every precaution against her escape. He let her ride Lincus since she was familiar with him, but tied the blue roan gelding to his own bay mare with complicated knots that the young woman couldn't even hope of solving. He also didn't let her near anything even remotely sharp so she wouldn't try to cut the rope. Feeling sick, she clutched Lincus's mane tightly, more for emotional support than anything else, and followed Bendel and his mare out into the woods.

They rode at a brisk trot for about an hour, then slowed to a walk. Everly was hopelessly lost – it was so dark she couldn't see anything except what was illuminated by a torch Bendel had lit. She felt as if she was going to throw up.

"Don't be scared," her male companion said, mistaking her expression. "I'm hunting stars. I know they are dangerous and evil, but I will protect you from this one. She came down by herself; I didn't even have to get her down myself. That makes her an extra challenge."

Everly felt bile rising in her throat, but forced it down. This would not be the most opportune time to throw up.

As they kept walking, Bendel kept his voice low, as if he was letting Everly in on a surprise he had for someone he loved instead of creeping up to murder one of her family members. Of course, he didn't know that she was related to the stars, and she didn't plan on him finding out.

"Usually I let a band of my men take them out," he was saying. "But I want to handle this one myself. I told you, the ones that come down by themselves are extra dangerous…"

He kept going, but Everly was trying not to listen. She had closed her eyes and was willing with all her might that help would come for the star before Bendel got to her. She hoped whatever powers she might have due to her mother included getting help.

Suddenly she saw something shimmering to her left. It was a unicorn, hidden in the brush. Bendel didn't see it, so Everly didn't say anything.

The unicorn seemed to look her in the eye, and she got a vague feeling that it was going to help the star that had fallen. She also got a very specific feeling that it was going to take the star to the palace of Stormhold, for King Tristan and Queen Yvaine would have a way of getting her back in the sky. But the unicorn was going to need Everly's help.

Gulping, Everly made up her mind. She would have to find some way to distract Bendel so the unicorn could get the star to safety.

Bendel pulled the horses to a stop. "We need to go on foot for a bit," he told Everly. So they got off the horses and the man tied them to oak tree branches as thick as Everly's leg. Then Bendel took her arm excitedly and led her forward. She noticed now he had a bow and a quiver of arrows strapped to his back. They made her shudder, but she was thinking about how she was going to distract him.

They crept forward in silence. Everly could smell burning wood, conceivably from the crater the falling star had made. The smell brought back memories of the last star she had seen hunted by Bendel, and the bile rose in her throat again.

_Be strong_, she commanded herself, _someone down there is depending on you._

She wasn't comforted by her words, but they helped her to focus.

They came to a copse of bushes at which Bendel dropped to his knees and motioned for Everly to do the same. Crawling forward, they came to the edge of the crater. The star woman had gotten to her feet and was wandering around, trying to find a point at which she could exit the crater. She was cradling one arm to her chest that must have gotten hurt in her fall. Though Bendel didn't see, Everly saw the unicorn hovering in the trees a couple hundred feet to their left, waiting for an opportunity to come out into the open without being seen.

Now was the time. Everly could only hope the unicorn understood that.

"So, thank you for taking me out here," Everly said in slightly-louder-than-conversational tones, moving herself in front of Bendel. "Alvar wouldn't take me anywhere."

The icy look that meant the curse had control was in Bendel's eyes when he glared at her, willing her to be silent so he could focus, but even though it terrified her to death Everly ignored it and put on her best pout face.

"I mean really," she continued, sliding herself closer, "He was so cruel. He gave me no attention at all. I don't even know why he bought me. I just sit around all the time, he doesn't touch me or take me anywhere." This time, she added to the pout a bit more lower-lip-quivering. "I feel so alone."

Something changed in Bendel's eyes. The icy edge didn't leave, but a flicker of sympathy transformed the rest of his face.

Gathering her courage, Everly threw her arms around his neck.

The man was taken completely off guard. He had no idea how to react; his brain completely fried. Instinctively, he placed his own muscular arms awkwardly around the young woman holding him. For a brief moment, they held each other. Bendel was thinking of how nice it was to actually hold a woman in his arms besides his sister; Everly was calculating how long it would take the unicorn to get the star out of the crater and how long she would have to keep this up.

She needn't have calculated. After a moment, Bendel suddenly stiffened and threw her away from himself. She landed hard on her side and rolled, but was soon crawling to the edge of the crater, hoping she had distracted him long enough.

She had. Bendel let out a sound of rage as they saw the unicorn – bearing the star – fairly fly out of the crater and into the woods beyond. Everly breathed a sigh of relief.

In his curse-driven anger, Jack's brother grabbed her roughly and almost threw her onto Lincus's back when they reached the horses. They rode at a hard gallop towards his home.

After a while, Jack had finally managed to escape the prison that was her room by breaking the lock with a process involving several heavy books and hairpins. Remembering what the unicorn had told her about ruby illuminite missing from a nearby mine, she stole up to her parents' room, where she knew Bendel spent a lot of his time. Or he had before Everly. The important thing was, there was a balcony attached to her parent's room that gave a phenomenal view of the sky.

When she reached the door, she paused. She knew that she only had a limited time before Bendel and Everly returned, and there was no way he would miss her broken door. Still, this was her parents' room. A flood of memories threatened to overwhelm her, and she had to blink them back as if they were tears. They still managed to weaken her though.

The door was unlocked, so she let herself in. The sight before her almost made her heart stop.

All over the room, there were stones of ruby illuminite. They glittered orange in the darkness like sparks from a fire, scattered over the floor in a trail that led to the balcony. She gulped nervously, knowing how many stars had lost their lives on this floor, or because of the stones on the floor. She swayed and crouched with her head between her knees. For a few minutes, it was all she could do to breathe.

Then she did what there was no avoiding. She stepped onto the balcony. And crumpled.

There was a large black spot in the sky, devoid of any light. The fifty stars Bendel had already killed had all come from around the same area.

Jack faded in and out of consciousness from the shock. She only became fully aware of her surroundings when someone – Bendel – took her by the scruff of the neck and dragged her back to Everly's room. He threw her in, and she heard the door lock.

"Hello, Jack."

She turned to see Everly smiling at her. The younger woman looked as if she had been dragged by one arm all the way from the stable to the room they were both locked in (which, in fact, she had) and yet she was happy about something. Jack gave her a puzzled look.

"You should be so proud of me, Jack," Everly said slightly weakly, "I saved someone's life. I saved the star's life. That's why – your brother – is in such a bad mood."

Jack couldn't do anything but hug her young friend as hard as she could.


End file.
